• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

When Nat, her best friend Jess and singing-star wannabe Harper sing together, their harmonies bring down the house.

For Nat, the experience sparks a driving new desire to perform. But when the girls form a trio and enter a contest for a chance to play at the Tall Grass Music Festival, Nat finds that harmony—musical and otherwise—is hard to maintain. Her bandmates almost never agree, her new boyfriend starts behaving more like a non-boyfriend, and the trio’s famous-musician mentor doesn’t even like the way Nat breathes. Every day, Nat’s dream of performing at Tall Grass seems farther away, and she questions whether she has what it takes to get there.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Patricia McCowan originally wanted to be an actor. She took acting classes as a kid, was a drama-club nerd in high school and studied acting at the University of Winnipeg and the Banff Centre. After acting for a while (and then becoming a mom), she directed her creative energies to writing. Her short stories have appeared in YA anthologies, as well as in print and online magazines. For more information, visit www.patriciamccowan.com.

Patricia McCowan's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

"Emphasize[s] the necessity of cooperation and persistence, as well as the importance of education and family...Will appeal to reluctant readers, especially those with an interest in the performing arts."

School Library Journal (SLJ)

"Readers who are in the Performing Arts will empathize with the trio’s struggles and accomplishments. Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"[An] endearing first novel about a young singer learning to trust her own voice while singing with others."

Resource Links

"A great glimpse into the music industry, with all its hopes, dreams, and defeats attached...A great read for tweens and young adults who have an interest in musical performance, both those who may want to perform and those who appreciate musical talent in the audience.”

Jackie Warkentien, Youth Services Librarian

"With minimal adult guidance, the girls learn specific elements of their craft, how to navigate opportunities in the music industry and how to work together, even coming to understand that their arguments are a natural part of the music-making process. A fast-paced narrative set to the tune of talented-teen melodrama."

Kirkus Reviews

"The journey may be bittersweet, but the message is one of hope and encouragement: no success without failure, no learning without doing, no joy without daring.”

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) Magazine