After the Wallpaper Music

For twelve-year-old violinist Flora, growing up doesn’t always mean growing apart. But when a Battle of the Bands starts to divide Flora’s friend group, she knows that music will either separate them or bring them back together again.

Playing violin makes twelve-year-old Flora feel alive, whether she is playing with her friends in their string quartet or playing fiddle for her Auntie Flora.

When a music competition is announced, Flora wants her string quartet to play a classical song like they always do, but her friends want to play something new. Then, Simon, a talented drummer, who is struggling with a recent loss, invites Flora to join his rock trio. Pulled in several directions, Flora must decide if she is willing to risk her friendships by playing in Simon’s band.

For Flora, finding harmony with her friends, family, and music just became more difficult.

This coming of age story explores what it means to grow into yourself and risk growing apart from what you know.

Celebrated author Jean Mills utilizes her musical talents in this uplifting novel that showcases the joys of music, and the power it has to bring people together.  

Jean Mills has been writing professionally for over 30 years, her five Young Adult novels received critical acclaim in Canada and internationally. Skating Over Thin Ice was a 2019 Forest of Reading Red Maple Fiction nominee and was named to the USBBY Outstanding International Book List. Jean is a former college Communications professor, and she also spent ten years on the Media & Communications team at Curling Canada. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing one of her many musical instruments, creating something with yarn, or cheering for the Maple Leafs. Jean lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Praise for After the Wallpaper Music 

2024 Junior Library Guild selection

The Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press: September 2024” Feature 

“Mills...employs a cozy writing style that is both breezy and immersive. Poignant life lessons and a focus on the emotions evoked by music permeate this soulful novel.”—Publishers Weekly 

“Flora’s small town and new school year is stirred by the arrival of a former rock star’s family seeking privacy, introducing her and her classmates to the withdrawn son, Simon....empathetic readers may find a mirror in Flora who champions kindness towards outsiders like Simon.”—Booklist 

“With Battle of the Bands on the horizon and the pressure to play with not one, but two bands, Flora is not sure where her future lies in music. Can she be everything to her friends while staying true to herself? With the focus fully on Flora, readers will get a chance to see the inner workings of her family and community. The middle school dynamics also ring true.”—School Library Journal 

“I really, really liked this book!...After the Wallpaper Music is a story that leaves you with a good taste in your mouth, one that lingers long after you've finished reading it....Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine 

Jean Mills has been writing professionally for over 30 years, her five Young Adult novels received critical acclaim in Canada and internationally. Skating Over Thin Ice was a 2019 Forest of Reading Red Maple Fiction nominee and was named to the USBBY Outstanding International Book List. Jean is a former college Communications professor, and she also spent ten years on the Media & Communications team at Curling Canada. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing one of her many musical instruments, creating something with yarn, or cheering for the Maple Leafs. Jean lives in Guelph, Ontario.