WINNER OF THE 2024 CBCA BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR OLDERS READERS
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 ETHEL TURNER PRIZE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 UTS GLENDA ADAMS AWARD FOR NEW WRITING
A debut YA verse novel about what happens when the paths of a young busking violinist and an aspiring street artist collide during a pandemic. Set in one of the most locked-down cities in the world - Melbourne, 2020.
This song has a grace note,
a tiny note that's there for embellishment
but can easily be ignored,
not played.
Tonight, I add it in -
just because.
We can all do with an extra note
of grace.
Grace Dalfinch is a talented violinist who longs to play contemporary music in bars, but her mum forbids her.
James Crux is an aspiring street artist who promised his dad he wouldn't paint in public until he's finished school.
When Crux witnesses Grace's impromptu performance on a deserted tram, he's inspired to paint her and her violin; and when Grace stumbles across her portrait in a Melbourne alley by an anonymous street artist, she sets out to find its creator.