Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Beatles, Beatlemania, and the Music that Changed the World Book

As a huge music fan, I knew that Yeah Yeah Yeah had the potential to pull me in as soon as I began reading. Focused on The Beatles, this is written into the text from the start. This biographical novel covers so many different aspects of the lives of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and also of band members and production teams that came and went along their journey from unknowns to international superstars. Having the opportunity to learn about what it took for The Beatles to become what they were disguises the "informational" tone of the book.
As a reader, I was interested in this book because I wanted to obtain the information it offered. I like The Beatles' music, and I knew a little about their history before reading, so I found reading the novel pretty enjoyable. However, it did get a little overly descriptive at times, and I found myself skimming over chunks of text that didn't catch my attention. The pictures in the novel were a nice touch and added a level of visual interest that is not always present in biographical novels.
As a teacher, I probably wouldn't use this text in its entirety as a classroom tool. The novel is a little lengthy and in-depth to hold the reader's interest if read that thoroughly. I think it would have a great use as a reference book for a report about musicians in history, as an example of a biographical novel about a famous subject, or as material for shorter text selections to be used for any other purpose in the classroom. It might be a great book to recommend for students to read in their own free time as well.
In all, Yeah Yeah Yeah is a well-written biographical novel, and certainly appropriate for young adults. It many lack the vocabulary plot developments that generally work to hold the interest of young adults, but it would provide plenty of insight for the student or the teacher who wants to expand their knowledge of music history and its influences or who just wants to learn a little more about a famous band. In any case, the book is appealing and could be a good choice for many readers, regardless of their age.

When my fourth grader brought this book home from school, I picked it up to have a look, and ended up reading the entire thing.

Although this book is written for "young readers", I found that I learned more about the band, the social changes they effected and were affected by, and the 1960s music scene in general than I had learned from more comprehensive Beatles biographies.

I recommend this book to Beatles fans of all ages.