Violinists in Middle Grade Historical Novels

I attended the New Mexico Philarmonic’s final Neighborhood Concert of the season last weekend. The theme of the concert was “Hail Britannia!,” and the music, by Tallis, Purcell, Vaugh-Williams,and Handel was superb, but the highlight of the concert was, for me at least, the guest musicians.

In addition to the members of the Philharmonic and the University of New Mexico Chamber Singers, the Orchestras from two local middle schools, Jackson and Cleveland, played the first and last pieces: “Hail, Britannia!” and “God Save the Queen.” Having those young performers changed the whole dynamics of the performance. While the audience is usually composed mostly of retirees, this audience had many families and young children. It was obvious that the young violinists were very excited to be able to perform with professionals, and equally obvious that the audience was thrilled to have young people performing. The evening was inspiring for everyone involved.

The concert made me wonderif there were middle grade historical fictions that might just feed the inspiration of aspiring violinists and other young musicians. Here’s what I found:

 

Ayumi’s Violin, by Mariko Tatsumoto

Twelve-year-old biracial Ayumi must leave Japan to live with the American father she has never met after her mother dies. It is 1959, and she is confronted by racism and rejection. She finds solace in playing her violin until even that is taken from her. This book won the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Award, was a Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Honor Book, and a finalist for the Colorado Authors' League Award.

 

The Dollmaker of Krakow, by R.M. Romero

In this work of historical fantasy set in Poland during World War Two, a dollmaker with unusual power spirits a live doll, Karolina, out of the Land of Dolls, a fantasy world that is being destroyed by rats. The two befriend a Jewish violin-playing father and his daughter who are threatened by the Nazi takover of Poland. A mix of fantasy and brutal, sometimes painful to read reality, this book may be hard for younger readers.

 

Under a Painted Sky, by Stacey Lee

It’s 1849, and Samantha dreams of leaving Missouri and moving back to New York to be a professional violinist. When disaster strikes and leaves her an orphan and fearing for her life, the Chinese girl joins up with a runaway slave named Annamae and the two of them, disguised as boys, light out for adventures in the Wild West.

The Way to Stay in Destiny, by Augusta Scattergood,

While not about a violinist, this novel, set in 1974,  tells the story of a young boy named Theo, who finds happiness by playing piano at a local dance studio after he and his Uncle, a Vietnam veteran, move to a new town. This book the only one of the four with a male protagonist, also has a baseball mystery thrown into the plot, so might appeal more than the other three to boys.

 Got any personal favorites to add to this list?