Through a series of recollections, this book tells the compelling story of Ari, an eleven-year-old boy with a gift for music.
For such a young boy, Ari has already had to face some big issues in life: emigrating from Germany to Australia with his mother, leaving behind his beloved grandfather, whom he and his mother have lived with since the death of Ari's father in a car accident; developing a relationship with his new stepfather, Jamie; and learning how to deal with his musical talent, the expectations it placed on him and what it will mean for his future.
By remembering his early travels in Europe with his mother, and translating his memories of people and place into pieces of music, Ari grows to realise that life is composed of many kinds of journeys - figurative as well as literal - and accepting those journeys is part of finding your place in the world.
With beautifully drawn characters and relationships, this is a gentle and moving book.
Winner of the Children's Book Council Book of the Year for Young Readers 2003.
