Wonderkid: A Novel
Musician Blake Lear named himself after his favorite artistic influences, William Blake and Edward Lear. As the lead singer of the British band Wonderkids, Blake utilizes these influences in his songs, a combination of silly and nonsensical yet catchy lyrics that brings Blake and his group more attention than they ever imagined. When the band is offered a lucrative record deal, stardom seems to be just around the corner. The only catch is that their promised adoring audience will be children. The Wonderkids agree to become the combination Beatles/Teletubbies of their generation, wowing screaming kids and their parents in full-to-capacity venues around America. Their story is narrated by Sweet, a young boy Blake adopts who becomes the group’s de facto manager, merchandiser, counselor, and CEO of damage control as the band battles censorship, a drug bust, and various sticky personnel issues. Fast-paced and full of details only a music insider would know, novelist and musician Stace’s latest is a funny, untamed, highly pleasurable read, a wise and witty visit to a world few of us have experienced. --Carol Gladstein