The Sweetest Sound by Sherri Winston - ADVISABLE

Winston, Sherri The Sweetest Sound, 259 pgs. Little, Brown and Company, 2017. $17.99.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  

Cadence and her friends are almost old enough to try out for the youth choir and not be a part of the little kid choir any longer.  The scary part is that it requires a solo in front of everyone and Cadence is not sure she can do it.  Before her mom left, she always called Cadence her little mouse and that is what she is, shy and quiet, but Cadence wants this so much that she makes a deal with God.  If he will help her dad get her a new keyboard for her birthday, she will try out for the choir and stop being so afraid of everything.   Well, she can't believe it when her dad is able to find and fix up the perfect keyboard.  Now she has to keep her end of the bargain, right?  

What a nice story with a bit of insight into a church choir.  Boy, I felt for Cadence as she worried about singing in front of everyone.  The author understood perfectly how it feels to be shy and nervous and how heart wrenching it can be to be called on without any warning.  Her description of Cadence’s embarrassment is spot on.  This could also be used in a classroom setting as the author incorporates literary and musical terms naturally so they doesn't distract from the story but provide some great examples.  

EL - ADVISABLE.  Reviewer: RB