Free Piano (Not Haunted), by Whitney Gardner, (July 2025, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), $23.99, ISBN: 9781665938136
Ages 10+
Margot is a kid living in a town called Cascade Cove. Her father’s too busy chasing Internet success to pay much attention to her, and her mother works long hours to keep the household running. Margot finds a synthesizer put out for the trash bearing a sign: FREE PIANO (NOT HAUNTED). Who can resist? Not Margot, who hopes she can connect with her dad over music. Except, guess what? The piano is haunted by the spirit of a woman named Vision, a pop star from 1979 who bonds with Margot over their mutual passion for music; Vision also has lessons to share with Margot about success and wanting things for the wrong reasons. The two come together in the most hilarious of situations as Vision attempts to figure out modern-day technology and colloquialisms; when Margot tells Vision she wants “followers”, for instance, Vision fears that Margot is starting a cult. Margot’s friends Sebastian and Seven, the “Sons of Smash”, throw things off a tower for followers and add more humor to the story. A solid story about complicated parental relationships and a cautionary tale about wanting things for the wrong reasons. Free Piano (Not Haunted) was an Indie Next pick and is a good pick for graphic novel collections.
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