Recommended Ages: Gr.

Plot Summary: Lester's piano teacher pinned a note to his shirt on his first music lesson. His mom told him it said he would never be musical. But Lester went on to figure out how to play music, even though he never learned to read music. He built a crystal radio set with an oatmeal can and his bed, he tweaked a guitar, he created a recording machine, he invented a contraption to hold up his harmonica so he could play harmonica and guitar at the same time, he created a microphone and amplifier, and he created the first solid electric guitar.

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Recurring Themes: perseverance, invention, music, family support

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I really enjoyed reading that he even cut his staircase apart in order to tune it, and his mother didn't was so proud of him for doing it! That was in the author's note. The whole book was really good and it would be interesting to show kids what technology used to look like back then. Could even incorporate a STEM activity.

Genre: biography

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For every child who likes to tinker, the story of Les Paul is an incredibly in-depth biography about one of the greatest tinkerers of all time.

Guitar Genius takes readers on a life-long journey from a music-loving student who was told he had no talent to the popular musician and highly-respected guitar inventor that he became. The story highlights the perseverance, focus and passion that Les Paul brought to the one thing he loved, even in the face of discouragement and failure.

A fascinating read for any budding musician, especially one who loves guitars.



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Even though young Lester Polsfuss was told by a piano teacher that he would "never be musical," he persevered in his love of music enough to pursue in a career it while constantly tinkering with machines and inventions of his own to be able to play a harmonica and a guitar at the same time, to amplify his sound, and eventually to create the first solid-body electric guitar. Les Paul is now in multiple halls of fame for his contributions to music.

This detailed picture book biography highlights the life and career of Les Paul while focusing on his strong family roots and his unending curiosity to try something new. It's an inspirational, and occasionally technical, read. Children and tweens who enjoy music and STEM subjects will particularly like this book, but it also resonates with any reader who's been told they are 'no good' at something.

Brett Helquist's illustrations complement the text nicely with largely realistic images and then beautiful swirls of color to represent the sounds of musical tunes. ( )

This thorough picture book biography of Les Paul is incredible - I learned a lot! Through tinkering and perseverance, and with encouragement from his mother, Lester Polsfuss engineered the electric guitar, and added many innovations that helped create the music we know today: close-miking, echo delay, overdubbing, and multi-tracking.

See also: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires ( )