Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

     

     There are so few books  written that have musicians as main characters.  I was excited to find Guitar Notes by Mary Amato which includes music throughout the story.  
     Lyla seems to have it all figured out.  Not only is she an amazing cellist, following in her late mother’s footsteps, but she is also focused on academics.  Tripp doesn’t have it figured out.  After recently losing his father, he struggles in school but finds comfort in playing the guitar.  Because Tripp is doing poorly in school, his mom takes away his guitar.  Tripp is distraught until he discovers he can borrow a guitar from school and practice without his mom knowing.  There are few practice rooms, so he can only practice on odd days.  Lyla is assigned the practice room on even days.  When Tripp leaves the room a mess, Lyla writes him a note and so begins a series of notes back and forth which leads to a surprising and unlikely friendship.  This book has a cute plot. I found myself looking forward to reading the notes because of the wit that both characters have and there is a surprise towards the end which kept things moving along. This is a great book for people who enjoy realistic fiction, stories about friendships, and stories that have a theme of music.