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Title details for Behind These Hands by Linda Vigen Phillips - Available

Behind These Hands

by Linda Vigen Phillips
ebook
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1 of 1 copy available
"a richly woven, unforgettable symphony of feelings and words" -Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Piano prodigy Claire Fairchild, 14, has always known music would be her life. So when she has the opportunity to enter a prestigious contest, she goes all in - until she realizes she's also competing against Juan, a close childhood friend and one of the most talented musicians she knows. It doesn't help that her thoughts about him are turning romantic.
"Juan on the flute,
me on the piano,
there can be
only
one
winner.
The thought of this
not being a good idea
gives me more butterflies
than the thought of
performing my own composition."
When Claire and her family receive a devastating blow from rare, always fatal Batten disease, her world enters a tailspin. Claire decides her musical goals no longer seem relevant.
"I can't do music anymore.
I don't want to do it anymore...
The bomb that just landed in
our living room threatens to blow up
in my face.
The silence is deafening,
the stunned looks are frozen."
She can't reconcile the joy that music would bring to her life while her brothers succumb to an early and ugly death. Her decision puts everything at risk: her friendship with Juan, her parents' expectations, and her own happiness.
"My hands aren't the same hands
as before.
Even my friends feel different."
After Claire accompanies a friend on a school newspaper assignment, she meets a centenarian with a surprising musical past and only one regret in life. Claire knows something in her life has to change before it's too late, but she's not sure she has the courage to take the next step.
Recommended for readers of Jason Reynolds, Kenzi Hart, Elizabeth Acevedo, Kwame Alexander, McCall Hoyle, and Julie Buxbaum.
"The stream-of-consciousness narrative allows readers to participate in Claire's internal struggles, deepening the psychological intensity of the story... This affecting portrait of a family in crisis will win hearts." (Anne O'Malley, Booklist)
"This is a compelling story in whose heroine other struggling teens might see themselves." (Foreword Reviews)
"Linda Vigen Phillips's lyrical language paints a vivid picture of a world colored by a crushing disease... You'll discover, along with Phillips's teenage heroine, how to face the prospect of losing someone you love and still face the day." (Laura King Edwards, author, speaker, and co-founder of Taylor's Tale, the world's leading charity focused on eradicating infantile Batten disease)
"A beautiful story! Lyrical and poignant.... You'll have a hard time putting down this novel in verse." (Skila Brown, Award winning author of Caminar)

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 17, 2018

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781611532586
      • File size: 1065 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781611532586
      • File size: 1065 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from June 1, 2018
      When devastating news hits, a 14-year-old piano prodigy questions her place in her family and the world in this novel in verse.Claire Fairchild was born to make music and has been preparing for an elite competition that could have a tremendous impact on her future. When both of her little brothers, Trent, 6, and Davy, 7, are diagnosed with Batten disease, a rare, incurable illness that leads to physical and mental deterioration and then death, Claire's carefully outlined world collapses: "Batten has rearranged our family / like pieces of familiar furniture / placed awkwardly in a new setting." Music is no longer important: "I don't feel the music in me at all. / It feels dead." She feels "dirty inside" for worrying about the impact this news has on her competition prep. How can she continue to make music when her brothers are dying? With the support of her friends, Juan and Mia, Claire finds hope--not that her brothers will live, but that she can use her music to celebrate their lives, no matter how brief. Free verse evokes the myriad emotions brought up by the story's numerous well-balanced themes. The result is a richly woven, unforgettable symphony of feelings and words. Claire and her family are white, as is Mia; Juan is Cuban.Brings awareness with sensitivity and grace to a rare, always fatal disease. (author's note) (Fiction. 12-17)

      COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      July 1, 2018

      Gr 6 Up-Until now, 14-year-old Claire Fairchild's life has been simple. A gifted pianist, she's the beloved child of educators and the adored sister of rambunctious, six-year-old twin boys. Claire thought getting ready for an acclaimed musical competition would be her most intimidating challenge to date, but nothing prepared her for the medical condition now ravaging her brothers-Batten disease. As Claire and her family try to come to terms with this reality, Claire finds that her passion for the piano eludes her. She is lucky to have Juan, one of her closest childhood friends and a fellow musician, reminding her of who she was before Batten and helping her navigate a "new normal." Claire's process of grief will feel relatable, and her family's responses are likely to resonate. The novel falters only on a couple of points; in a few places, the language feels dated or unrealistic, and there is a saccharine sweetness in the reactions of Claire's friends. The denouement and conclusion feel overly tidy and rosy. Nevertheless, for its validating emotional content, it is a worthy addition. Give this moving novel in verse to readers coping with a health crisis close to home. VERDICT A solid choice for middle and high school shelves.-Melissa Williams, Berwick Academy, ME

      Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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