Review: Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry

Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry.

Random House Children's Book for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 2011
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780375861963

Review: Do the right thing. Support the mission. This is all that Jody Field, Giselle Johnson, and Vivian Armstrong want to do when they find Arvo Kross. Arvo is a Soviet translator who just wants his home country, Estonia, to be free from the Russian Soviets. In Second Fiddle by Rosanne Perry, all three 8th-grade girls have a parent helping the military. The three girls are also a musical trio. Jody and Vivi are moving out of Berlin, the three girls want to spend as much time together. Will they be able to, without getting in trouble?

Jody, Vivi, and Giselle are participating in a Solo and Ensemble Contest in Paris. To go, their escort will be their music teacher, Herr Muller. The only problem is that he can't go. The three girls were looking forward to going to Paris for the competition because it is probably the last time they will ever play together. After learning this unfortunate fact from Herr Muller, the girls stumble upon Arvo. Not knowing what to do, the three girls decide to help him. Arvo being from the Soviet side, has to be well-hidden. Not telling their parents, the girls take care of Arvo every day. Then the girls have an idea. They can disguise Arvo as Herr Muller and go to the contest in Paris. But at the end of the contest, things go terribly wrong. Arvo may have bought the girls' lunch, but he also stole all their money, passports, and train tickets. How could this have happened? The girls thought Arvo could be trusted. How will the girls safely get back to Berlin, with their parents?

This book is awesome! It shows friendship in its best way and how three inseparable girls stick together in Paris. I also love the title of Second Fiddle because of the word 'fiddle'. I play the violin and because of that, even though it is historical fiction, I picked up this book. Based on the period of the Cold War in 1990 in Berlin and Paris, everywhere is war-ridden. I am almost attracted to novels on how people cope in war times. It is very well-written, and the setting is fully detailed. I also like how the voice of Jody is used very well to show her feelings. The plot is complicated, yet easy to understand, and is a delight to read about. I rate this book a 5 out of 5! You should read Second Fiddle if you love music and/or historical fiction.

Review written by Sahaj (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Second Fiddle for this review.

Have you read Second Fiddle? How would you rate it?