A Certain Music

January 1, 2010
Grades 4-6 A nine-year-old girl lives in Vienna in the early 1800s. Her mother works in a factory, while her father joins the army in an effort to stop drinking away his meager earnings. Taunted by other children as the daughter of a drunkee, the girl enjoys listening to the music coming from the house of a gruff composer, and eventually she becomes his friend. A few years later, she learns that he has honored her in an unexpected way. Major characters are referred to as the child, the woman, and the man, an unusual device with a purpose that becomes apparent as the story progresses. Writing in an understated manner, Walters lets readers draw their own inferences about the girls challenges as well as her name, which is revealed in the end. Occasional ink drawings with gray washes will help readers visualize the period setting. First published in Australia, this rewarding paperback can be paired with Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1994) for a memorable, musical duo.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)