Joy Returns!

by Wendy Ledger

When your beloved father dies, how do you recover?

Nine-year-old Samantha feels alone in the world. Her mother and grandmother would like to help her, but Samantha is conflicted on whether she can trust them. Then she meets Elaine Desmond, a mysterious, glamorous teacher, and Samantha discovers the wonders of music and the magic of the piano. Is this the way to heal her heart?

200 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2017

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet book about how a young girl found joy again through music. Wendy Ledger gets young girls. I look forward to her next young adult book. This book can really inspire girls to find their joy.

[Jennia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendy Ledger is one of a select few in the author community who has mastered the art of selecting every word for maximum impact. Joy Returns opens after nine-year-old Samantha’s father has recently passed. Her mother and grandmother are struggling to deal with his passing in their own way, but all three of them become isolated in their grief, forming their own strong opinions for what must be the best way to move forward. This tunnel vision causes Samantha to feel even more alone and misunderstood by her surviving family.
One morning, Samantha makes a spontaneous decision to attend a nearby church under the guise of going for a walk. While there, she meets a talented piano player whom she sees as being the antithesis to her mother and grandmother. Cosmopolitan, seemingly unencumbered by any real responsibilities, and sophisticated, Elaine Desmond personifies everything that Samantha aspires to. When she takes Samantha under her wing to become her piano student, Samantha dives into the world of music to help ease her pain and grief.
This story honestly depicts a child’s sense of reasoning and how they perceive the world and others without ever coming across as twee or unrealistic. Adults and children alike will relate to the young narrator while also being able to identify with the motivations of her mother and grandmother. As a mother of two girls, one of whom is close to Samantha’s age, her mannerisms and thought process felt familiar. Wendy has a keen sense of understanding the depths of human emotion and how they are felt across the life span and that talent particularly stood out in this book.
Joy Returns has the potential to be a modern classic in children’s literature. The reader will feel deeply with the characters at every step of their journey. Five stars for this poignant story of loss, acceptance, and the unconditional love of family.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story!

[Wendy Ledger]

This is my book! It was the first novel I ever wrote, and it took quite a long time for me to write it. I have wanted to write books ever since I was a child. I finally decided that if I was going to write a book, I needed to do it. But what would I write about?A memory called to me, how I felt as a child when I sat down at a piano bench and put my hands on the keys. I felt like the captain of a spaceship. I felt like in the moments when I played, I could express so many things that I couldn't in my ordinary life—passion, operatic tragedy, righteous anger, unimaginable beauty. It was a wonderful experience to go back into that world, and I hope if you pick up my book, you'll also experience the wonder and magic of creating music.