The Maestro

Novel Study Guide

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Winner of the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature and the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children, Tim Wynne-Jones's The Maestro is an unforgettably stunning novel about one boy's discovery of just who he really is. Fourteen-year-old Burl Crow is hiding from his father when he see the most extraordinary sight that he has ever seen--a helicopter flying a grand piano over the northern Ontario forests where he lives. Running away from home, Burl accidentally discovers the isolated lakeside retreat that eccentric pianist Nathaniel Gow, the maestro of the title, has had built for himself, where he can finish his oratorio away from the demands of the musical world. Their chance encounter leaves Burl with a refuge from his abusive father--when the maestro returns to Toronto, he leaves Burl to look after the cabin and his grand piano. Burl's dreams of a secure future crumble when he discovers that Gow has died in Toronto, but he decides that he's going to try to use his encounter with the maestro to escape from his father once and for all. The Maestro is a compelling and powerful novel by one of Canada's finest writers for young people. Readers who enjoy The Maestro might also enjoy Wynne-Jones's Stephen Fair and The Boy in the Burning House. (Ages 12 and older)

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