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T. James Logan
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Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams Kindle Edition

by T. James Logan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
See all formats and editions

A guitar, a box of junk, and a pile of trouble...

Fifteen-year-old Otter is in a dark place.

Child Services wants to put him in foster care, or even a home for troubled youth.

Living on his own, he’s one bad decision away from the street. His band’s first gig is only two weeks away, but his crush on their new lead singer has him tied in knots.

Then he inherits a box of random junk from a dead grandfather he barely knew, only to discover that the junk is infused with his grandfather's memories. Can this "junk" help Otter win the girl of his dreams, reconnect with his family, and keep him out of juvenile detention...maybe even become a rock star?

You’ll love this touching, contemporary fantasy because it will play power chords on your heart strings.

Get it now.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Print length
    311 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    6 - 12
  5. Publication date
    March 10, 2020
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Love, loss, music, and magic, woven into an intricate pattern that smells like teen spirit. You don't want to miss this heart-wrenching, atmospheric, gripping tale of grit, friendship, and a mystical family legacy that might be more of a curse than a gift. And did I mention music?" - Chris Mandeville, Author of the In Real Time YA time travel adventure series

"Logan is a captivating storyteller from word one. Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams is a YA novel full of hope, adventure, grief, first love, self-doubt, self-discovery, triumph, and magic--everything I love in a book."
- Rebecca Moesta, New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights series

"This is a brilliant read. Wonderful, well-written plot and storyline that had me engaged from the start. Loved the well-fleshed-out characters and found them believable. Great suspense and action with wonderful worldbuilding that adds so much to the story." - Goodreads reviewer

"The chapter titles! *chef's kiss." - Goodreads reviewer

"Maybe it was just at the right place at the right time, but Junk Magic and Guitar Dreams was a novel I couldn't put down. Otter's (the recently-orphaned protagonist) struggles really resonated with me, and the creative use of music throughout the novel brought his angst and growth to another level. Logan's skill with prose really shines when he describes the protagonist and his band's performances, building emotions and memories that show his passion for music. If you manage to read those descriptions and not remember when the perfect song fit the perfect mood that you swore would never end and never change, you probably were never a teenager. This is a book that I'll keep in the back of the shelf, but know that whenever I need to relive those glory days (now I'm writing in lyrics, that's how infectious this book was), I can reach for it like an old friend." - Goodreads reviewer

"A magical journey through the worst terrors and most vivid dreams of the teen years and a reminder of the human connections that bind us all, imperfect as we are." - Amazon Reviewer

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B084P3FCVK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bear Paw Publishing (March 10, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 10, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6060 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 311 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

About the author

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T. James Logan

T. James Logan

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T. James Logan writes a lot of different kinds of things, from science fiction, fantasy, and horror to working on roleplaying games and screenplays. In his persona as T. James Logan, he loves to recapture bits of childhood, those times when a glimpse of a werewolf on television kept him up at night, those times when crushes were crushing, and those moments of youthful exuberance when the world was all possibilities.

In other guises, he teaches science fiction literature, practices martial arts, plays guitar, poker, and computer games.

He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his family, plus a dog and a cat, neither of which are lycanthropes—at least he’s pretty sure.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
22 global ratings
You can hear the music and see the memories.
5 Stars
You can hear the music and see the memories.
This put book took me on a fun adventure back to my teen years, being able to look at Otter's world through his eyes. I love learning about his family and their ups and downs through the memories and seeing how that impacted the character's growth and informed his outlook. Great choices in music references too.
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Top reviews from the United States

Mark Dispenza
5.0 out of 5 stars Teen Angst and Magical Connections
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
This was one of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read this year, and I’m an avid reader. It’s a magical journey through the worst terrors and most vivid dreams of the teen years and a reminder of the human connections that bind us all, imperfect as we are.
2 people found this helpful
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Wayne
5.0 out of 5 stars A rocking good story
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2020
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
Logan takes on a magical mystery tour in "Junk Magic And Guitar Dreams". The author's world building and character development is top notch as we ride along with Otter as he deals with loss, grief, love, dreams and growing up. We get to see Otter's grandfather help him from beyond the grave with the bequest he left Otter. It is refreshing to see how Logan wove a wide range of music genres into the story as well.
I highly recommend this entertaining book.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
3 people found this helpful
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Jan
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I don't normally like YA books but Logan pulls you in and makes you feel his characters pain and happiness. Otter is a lost teen and his journey toward adulthood is filled with pain, tears and happiness. Books rarely make me cry, but this one did. It felt real and Otter was like a close friend going through a rough time. It is well worth reading.

I received this book as an ARC and wished to leave a review.
3 people found this helpful
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Keli B.
4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it!
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is more a coming of age story than horror story. Not really any horror to it - but there is a “hook” that will get you and you’ll look for it! The characters were believable and the music references will take you back (some more than others). Overall, I’d recommend this book to any of my friends.
3 people found this helpful
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docrbk
5.0 out of 5 stars Solid YA
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2020
Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Slightly "slow" early, it gathers steam as the overall story broadens and eventually concludes. The major characters are well fleshed-out and their actions and thoughts, although perhaps a bit alien to us "old folks" are credible for the teenagers they are. Recommended for teens to twenty-ish but still enjoyable for others.
2 people found this helpful
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Kate Larkindale
3.0 out of 5 stars Music and magic
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
This was one of those frustrating books where I really liked part of the story, and found another part of it just didn't work for me.

Otter is a fifteen-year-old boy whose mother has just died from cancer. Before she died, she made sure he was capable of living alone and made the arrangements for him to be emancipated so he wouldn't have to face foster care or a group home. Now Otter lives alone in a trailer park, struggling to keep the lights on and himself fed on what he earns working part time at a car wash.

Life is pretty grim, but Otter keeps himself going with the dreams of what might happen once his band hits the big time. They have their first big gig coming up, so it's possible... And in the meantime, there's his biker neighbor to hang out with when things get too much to take. The biker neighbor who starts pressuring him to join his group called Odin's Warriors.

Just when life is complicated enough, Otter falls for the new singer who joins the band. Falls hard and fast. But Amber doesn't seem to notice his epic crush. Or if she does, she doesn't care.

When Otter receives a box of stuff his grandfather has left him, he doesn't think much of it. He had to miss a day of work to schlepp downtown to pick it up, and when he opens it, it's full of garbage he probably won't even be able to pawn. But when he picks out an item from the box, he's suddenly overwhelmed by memories. And they're not his own.

I liked Otter as a character. He was both tough and vulnerable, stubborn and impressionable. I wanted to adopt him and bring him home to live with me. He made stupid decisions and was too proud to ask for help even when he desperately needed it. His life was so hard, but a lot of that was his own doing because there were people trying to make things easier for him all the way through. He just couldn't or wouldn't see it.

What I didn't like about the book was the magical way the objects in his grandfather's box gave him memories. This book was so gritty and realistic in depicting Otter's life, the sudden appearance of magical memory-giving artifacts didn't really gel with me even if the memories did give Otter a deeper understand of his family and who he really is.

It's probably just me, because I'm not a huge fan of fantasy or magic. There was nothing really wrong with the memories or the information they gave Otter about where he came from, but I just didn't really buy the magical way this information was provided to him. But like I say, that's probably just me...

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this one in advance.
4 people found this helpful
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Dragan Simic
5.0 out of 5 stars Growing up, love, hate, magic and music dreams!
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020
A really enjoyable read. Otter, a 15 year old boy, gets some harsh cards served by life. He is forced, in an accelerated way, to find out about life, love, hate, friendship. Helping him along the way is the love for music and some magic. I found it a very nice read. I 100% recommend this book!
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Donna D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical coming of age story!
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
Fast paced story with page turning tension throughout.
Plus a twist or ten of fantasy thrown in the mix.
In addition, to great music!
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