Middle School

Amelia Jones has always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic. But then she botches her audition and her dream comes to an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn’t.
Between a teacher who really dislikes her and a roommate who wants to see her expelled, life at Mystwick is harder than Amelia thought it would be. And that’s not even counting the mysterious something that’s starting to make the teachers worry. When supernatural powers threaten the school, can Amelia find the courage to be true to her herself, save Mystwick, and prove once and for all where she belongs?

This is an Audible Original story, one of few stories where the audiobook came before the physical book.  I got this as a freebie from Audible but it’s worth paying for. Not only is this a terrific story set in an alternative world where music is used to create magic for everyday life, but music is woven in the narrative, making the audiobook even more enjoyable. This is one of the few times you get more from the audiobook than from reading the physical book.

Audible collaborated with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Youth Orchestras to perform the music for this story, along with four new pieces of classical music. The music ranges from simple melodies, like the Itys Bitys Spider, to advance orchestra pieces, like Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. I love Flight of the Bumblebee. It’s amazing how anyone can play an instrument so fast that it sounds like a buzzing bee. If you’ve never heard this song and would like to hear it, click on the YouTube link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtAu7xkwNjQ

I loved all the different things the music spells could accomplish, things like creating illusions, healing the sick, changing the weather, levitating objects and so much more.

Just like playing a regular musical instrument, preforming magical music is not easy. You need to stay focused on the task the music spell is supposed to accomplish, or else things can go bad. And if you’re playing a wind instrument, a serious set of lungs. Seriously, how do people play saxophones, tubas, and trumpets without losing their breath?

As you might have guessed by now, I know nothing about what goes into making music. I had piano lessons as a kid, but I didn’t enjoy it even though I have the long fingers for it. I just didn’t have the passion or the patience for it.

I highly recommend this story for musicians and music lovers, but you don’t need to be an expert on music or know how to play an instrument to enjoy this story, you just need to like music.

On an unrelated note, I was personally hoping someone would show up with some bagpipes or a banjo at some point in the story but that didn’t happen.

The message about being who you are and not trying to be someone you’re not is hammered heavily throughout the story.

A sequel is hinted at and I’m hoping for one because this story has only scratched the surface of what musicraft can do.

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about an Odd Orchestra

An orchestra in the Washington, D.C., area performs only music from video games.