Free Piano (Not Haunted)
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Publisher Description
From beloved graphic novelist Whitney Gardner comes a big-hearted, touching, and spooky coming-of-age story about a young aspiring songwriter who forms a ghostly partnership with the pop star who haunts her secondhand piano.
The piano is free, but fame has a price.
On the sleepy streets of Cascade Cove, lonely Margot knows that when she stumbles across a discarded synthesizer with a “not haunted” sign, she’s discovered the key to realizing her dreams. Determined to become a real songwriter and earn her absent father’s admiration, Margot dives headfirst into trying to gain followers and fans online. But her musical journey takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the (not haunted) piano is very much…haunted.
Enter Vision, teen pop sensation of 1979 whose untimely demise left her spirit intertwined with the keys of her synthesizer. Though Margot and Vision couldn’t be more different, the girls form an unlikely bond fueled by their shared passion for music.
But as Margot’s obsession with fame and recognition grows, she may come dangerously close to losing what she loves about music…and herself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A fast-talking ghost mentor, an endearing tween, and a possibly cursed musical instrument combine in this emphatically rock-'n'-roll graphic novel that riffs on themes of identity, legacy, and learning to own one's sound. When pale-skinned young Margot discovers a busted keyboard marked "Free Piano (Not Haunted)," she hauls it home—only to discover that it is indeed haunted by a ghost named Vision, a 1980s pop star. Despite Vision being an uninvited guest in her home, Margot forges an unlikely friendship with the spirit, who helps Margot navigate feelings of abandonment from her fame-chasing father, low-key resentment toward her overworked mother, and her own growing desire for creative validation. Psychedelic visuals bursting with retro vibes and poppy hues by Gardner (The Prince and the Pawper) juxtapose Vision's pop music aesthetic with the subdued, screen-lit radiance of present-day adolescence. Dynamic paneling engages readers and supporting characters such as Margot's crystal-loving aunt add warmth and charm to a ghost story that somewhat heavily ruminates on feelings of alienation, artistic ambition, parental disconnect, and the seductive pull of fame. Ages 10–up.
