Allegra

From the first time I read it, back in junior high, to the most recent reading (a few months ago!) Allegra by Sandy Miller has never lost it's place in my heart. It is the story of a sheltered, much loved ten year old girl who loses everything when her parents are killed in a car accident - everything except her extraodinary musical talent. Devastated and lonely, Allegra throws herself into piano practice as a means of escape from her unloving relatives, now her guardians. With the help of a dedicated piano teacher, Allegra grows as a musician, and as a person, over the next several years as she learns to accept her new family for what they are, and for the first time in her life is confronted with another young pianist whose talent rivals her own. A wonderful story, with realistic characters, that still touches this "kid"'s heart with every reading.