Music Boxes - Tonja Drecker - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Tonja Drecker

GENRE: Middle-Grade Fantasy.

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: An imaginative indie dark fantasy for middle graders. A medley of family drama, horror, sci-fi fantasy, and adventure. Perfect for little readers who prefer spooky but not paranormal stories.

Story Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Lindsey loves ballet, and has always dreamed of performing on stage. Unfortunately, it’s her younger sister, eight-year-old Bridget, who got a life-changing musical break by getting into Juilliard through her prowess with the violin. This also means that the family has had to move from Nebraska into a cramped New York apartment, and Lindsey has had to leave all her dreams behind.

When Lindsey bumps into Madame Destinée, a teacher at a fancy dance school who offers to teach Lindsey ballet for free as long as she performs at the school’s exclusive midnight shows, Lindsey doesn’t hesitate to sign up. But soon after she begins her new training, she realises that something is very wrong at the school. And the numerous music boxes in Madame Destinée’s office have something to do with the mystery. Will Lindsey be able to save herself from a possibly dire fate at the hands of the creepy Madame Destinée?

The story comes to us in the third person of Lindsey.

Bookish Yays:

😍 Intriguing main characters. Whether they are good or bad or scary, each main character is written with just enough depth as to keep kids engaged.

(That said, I the adult reader did have certain doubts regarding the characters. If Lindsey was so good at ballet, how come she never tried to get into Juilliard’s dance program? Or did she try and wasn’t selected? How was Bridget chosen from Nebraska for the NY college? Good thing kids are more open about hazy backstories.)

😍 Lindsey as the lead character is a great role model in two ways. Through her actions, kids will learn a long list of things to do (value of family, determination to succeed, listen to your gut instinct,…) as well as things not to do (don’t lie to your parents, midnight jaunts aren’t for kids, don’t trust strangers, don’t judge based on looks,…) She is a brave protagonist and deserving of the main role.

😍 The above points also make me feel like this will be a great book for discussions as well, whether at home or in classrooms. There is plenty of fodder for thought in this little gem.

😍 Lindsey and Bridget have an amazing relationship. Their four-year age gap is perfect to highlight Lindsey’s protectiveness for her younger sister and Bridget’s love and admiration for her elder sister while still demonstrating their jealousy and stubbornness. I adored their realistic portrayal.

😍 The plot is amazingly creative. I loved how music boxes were tied up to the secret, and how the solution involved not just magic but also human resourcefulness.

😍 Enjoyed all the musical elements of the book. I have never been into ballet (It is not really a “thing” in India) but reading about Lindsey’s passion for the dance form was still a treat.

😍 The descriptions of the settings are quite picturesque. It is quite easy to visualise the location and scene because of the author’s detailing.

😍 The book straddles multiple genres with ease. Despite having elements of family drama, dance, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, and horror, the story doesn’t feel like it attempted too much.

😍 There’s a very interesting dog!

Bookish Nays:

😐 There’s a teeny bit of repetition in Lindsey’s thoughts, especially after she starts having doubts about Madame Destinée’s intentions. One more round of edits ought to fix this.

😐 I would have liked to know some more details about the modus operandi of Madame Destinée. While I know that this is a fantasy and hence all the magical elements won’t be explained, some more details about the hows and whys of her past shenanigans would have added a nice layer to her character. Ditto for the neighbour Ms. Mulberry.

😐 The secondary characters don’t get carved as neatly as the main ones. Whether it is the girls’ parents or the other ballet instructor at the community centre, we don’t see them get properly involved in the main narrative.

As a novella aimed at middle graders, this indie book gets most things spot on. The story is creative, the pacing is steady, and the characters are sketched well. I had a nice time with this book, and I am sure middle-graders will enjoy it even better as they won’t be bothered by amateurish covers or flattish secondary characters or repetition. They read for entertainment, and this book offers plenty of it.

Definitely recommended to middle graders looking for a creepy and gripping fantasy.

My thanks to Coffee & Thorn Tours and author Tonja Drecker for the complimentary copy of “Music Boxes”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.