This is an engaging book in the coming-of-age genre. The protagonist is a fourteen-year-old girl who is a budding musician and is engaged to play in a Fourth of July concert in her hometown, conducted by her dad - a first-time conductor. It would be a great read for a preteen - there really isn't any offensive content or language - it has a 50s feel to it. Here's the blurb from the back cover:
"Fourteen-year-old Rachel Green just wants to be normal, but her genes are against her. In the sleepy little town of Sandy Bottom, her parents are practically famous for their eccentricity. And the only time she feels "normal' is when she's playing the violin.
So Rachel is happy and relieved when she's invited to play in the summer orchestra. But playing in her first professional orchestra-with its cast of musicians, each quirkier than the next-changes Rachel's life in unexpected ways. She begins to wonder if normalcy of the Sandy Bottom variety has been somewhat overrated. . .
"Fourteen-year-old Rachel Green just wants to be normal, but her genes are against her. In the sleepy little town of Sandy Bottom, her parents are practically famous for their eccentricity. And the only time she feels "normal' is when she's playing the violin.
So Rachel is happy and relieved when she's invited to play in the summer orchestra. But playing in her first professional orchestra-with its cast of musicians, each quirkier than the next-changes Rachel's life in unexpected ways. She begins to wonder if normalcy of the Sandy Bottom variety has been somewhat overrated. . .
