The Music of What Happens cover art

The Music of What Happens

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The Music of What Happens

By: Bill Konigsberg
Narrated by: Joel Froomkin, Anthony Ray Perez
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About this listen

From the award-winning author of Openly Straight, a story about two teens falling in love over a summer that throws everything possible to keep them apart.

Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.

Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk - to get the thing they want the most.

©2019 Bill Konigsberg (P)2019 Scholastic Inc. Bullying & Abuse Dating & Sex Difficult Situations Family & Relationships LGBT LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Racism & Discrimination Romance Dating Discrimination

Critic Reviews

"Through the empathetic performances of two narrators, we meet gay Arizona high schoolers Jordan and Max, and their families and friends.... Froomkin and Perez's heartfelt portrayals ensure that listeners are in sync with the characters as they deal with everything from a traumatic sexual encounter and mental health issues to toxic masculinity and figuring out how to be true to oneself." (AudioFile)
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Another great story by Bill Konigsberg, so far I've loved every one of his creations. They always tackle really important issues while at the same time making me laugh the whole way through.

Another incredible creation

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An amazing and funny book, and at times genuinely touching. The voice acting was great, and I think it added a whole other layer to the experience. I definitely recommend it.

Pretty Great!

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A nice story though ending far too soon. Great characters, good plot. Worth the listen.

The Music of What Happens

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One of the voices was very cringey at the beginning that I nearly stopped listening. But it grew on me and I enjoyed it overall. Not a complex storyline but nice to listen to in the car.

Grower

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a heart tugger this one, at least for me. very well narrated. the way the two voices were pitched, the way they mimicked each other, or the other people in their lives.
I love the quote about making food for people, that it makes happy memories, that someone might remember your food for the rest of their life, even if you never hear about it. that is 100% on point.

boys, but not as we think

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That was such a beautiful story. I was hooked on every word and felt every emotion. Thank you for reminding us that there is a reason for everything and that we all have a part in this world.

Brilliant

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Loved the story but the volume of the narrators was completely different, so had to constantly change volume from one chapter to the next throughout the book.

Beautiful story, great narration, poor sound

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Overall the book is good. I had trouble with the pace of the writing. It was an effort to get through it. I felt there was a disconnect with the two voice actors, I don’t know...

I think the last 1 hour of the book is perfect.

Last hour is where it’s at

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this is an amazing book but I think the actors should of stuck with the characters they did in each side of the book

great book

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Thought-provokingly beautiful. Tender and sweet. Explores the deeper, more complex themes or life, love and relationships (of all kinds).

Sweet, thoughtful, complex.

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