Description

Fans of Anne Ursu will love Anne Nesbet's tale of music and friendship, set against an age-old war between magic and science.

In the enchanted village of Lourka, almost-twelve-year-old Linny breaks an ancient law. Girls are forbidden to so much as touch the town's namesake musical instrument before their twelfth birthday or risk being spirited away. But Linny can't resist the call to play a lourka, so she builds one herself.

When the punishment strikes her best friend instead, Linny must leave home to try to set things right. With her father's young apprentice, Elias, along for the journey, Linny travels from the magical wrinkled country to the scientific land of the Plain, where she finds herself at the center of a battle between the logical and the magical.

In a world torn between two opposing forces, can one girl’s quest save not only her best friend, but the magic she was born to create?

Saving a Best Friend: When a forbidden melody spirits her best friend Sayra away, Linny will travel to the ends of her world and beyond to bring her back. Magic vs. Science: A journey from the enchanted, wrinkled country where stories come true to the logical land of the Plain, where magic is a disease. A Strong Heroine: Linny is a girl who breaks ancient laws, builds her own instruments, and bravely faces the consequences to make things right. The Power of Music: Discover the magic of the lourka, an instrument so powerful it can call souls away—and maybe, just maybe, call them home again.