• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2

A young pianist realizes that mistakes can sometimes lead to joyful discoveries

When Hannah plays piano, music dances in the air. Her notes line up and hold hands, stand straight and spin. They keep perfect pitch and a steady tempo. And Hannah, elegant and serious, dreams of becoming a famous musician.

For her school concert, Hannah chooses an ambitious piece and vows not to play a single wrong note. But no matter how diligently she practices, a wrong note sneaks into her music—including on the day of the performance. Ashamed and upset at the imperfection, Hannah sulks … until she sees her little sister, Jenny, lovingly dance and play with the wrong note, eventually inspiring Hannah to toss out her sheet music and improvise something completely new. And Hannah likes the sound! The notes aren’t perfect, but they are perfectly hers.

Playful phrasing is paired with lively, expressive illustrations that give true character to the music notes in this pitch-perfect story about creative expression.

SHANE GOTH is an MFA student at the University of British Columbia, whose short fiction has been published in several literary journals. The Midnight Club is his first picture book. Shane lives with his family in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Shane Goth's profile page

SARA GAGNON-DUMONT skillfully blends pencil and watercolor to create enchanting worlds, drawing inspiration from snowy landscapes, the vast sky, and her beloved toothless wiener-dog. She has illustrated numerous books in Canada and China, and has contributed to the Books for Baby program by the Association des bibliothèques publiques du Québec. She lives in Burnaby, BC, with her family.

Sara Gagnon-Dumont's profile page

"Hannah discovers that maybe the goal of playing music isn’t to be perfect after all and that those 'wrong notes' can lead to something pretty special."

School Library Journal