The Magic Violin Paperback – October 12, 2007

I so hoped for a book that could help inspire young people to take up music. This book got some good reviews, but I can't understand why. The writing is dull and predictable, while the illustrations are downright awful.

Good story, bad spelling!

The Magic Violin is a wonderful story about the belief in dreams and the importance of self esteem that leads us there. I recommend it to everyone.J.D. Holiday

Cute story!!!!!

Mayra Calvani's “The Magic Violin,” illustrated by K.C. Snider, is another lovely Christmas story. It’s also a magical story of believing in yourself, striving for a lofty goal, mixed with the joys of the Christmas season. Melina, a young violin student, struggles to learn a difficult piece by Vivaldi. She’s ready to give up when Andrea, her teacher, suggests what she needs is a magic dose of self-trust.When Melina and her family are out at the Grand Place, a beautiful old plaza, she hears “Winter,” the Vivaldi piece she’s been trying to learn. An old woman, with the same emerald ring her teacher wears, is playing on the plaza. When Melina meets the violinist, she sees an amazing thing—a hamster playing “Winter” on a tiny violin! Melina is told if she wishes on a shooting star on Christmas Eve, her wish will come true.This delightful story has magical and mysterious elements. The most important idea is that if you believe in yourself, the impossible becomes possible. Melina believes her violin has become magical, but the real power or magic is in her dedication to learning and playing well, and then experiencing the joy in accomplishing her goal.Once again, K.C. Snider’s beautiful illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this magical story. The warmth and joy of the Christmas season are evident on every page. This story, a wonderful collaboration between author and artist, makes you want to pack up and go to The Grand Place to experience such a magical Christmas. Highly recommended for ages 5 to 9.

Reviewed by Andrea SiscoMelina yearns to be good at playing the violin. But it requires work, persistence and confidence. Melina is short on confidence and wants to quit.Her kind and gentle teacher, Andrea, recognizes Melina's self-esteem problem and decides she needs some magic, which is delivered in the form of a mysterious old woman who gives Melina some interesting advice. But the delightful surprise is the Russian hamster living under the old woman's hat. He gives Melina an inspiring performance that fills her with hope on Christmas Eve.But the questions are: Is Melina really playing better because she's inspired and has gained confidence, or is she in possession of a magic violin? And who is the old woman in the town square and why does she wear the same beautiful emerald ring as her violin teacher Andrea? "Could it be possible? Could Andrea and the old woman be the same person?"I love children's books that inspire. And The Magic Violin inspires and entertains. The story is set in Belgium (where the author lives) and is sweet, well-written and zero's in on a huge problem with many children; self-esteem. The illustrations are all lovely but the cover captivates the reader's attention. It is so beautiful it could be framed.Armchair Interviews says: The Magic Violin is a must read, must have for children. They'll be inspired by the story and the illustrations will delight them.

An Important Lesson for EveryoneReview by Douglas Quinn, Author of Blue Heron Marsh, etal [[...]and Donna Higgins Colson, Professional Artist [[...]The Magic Violin carries a necessary message and conveys an important lesson for everyone, no matter what discipline, whether child or adult. There is no easy path to what one wants to accomplish, in this case, the mastery of a musical instrument. Hard work and practice brings improvement. This reality is often a difficult concept for children to grasp.We enjoyed the setting in Belgium, as it's also important that children learn about the world outside of their own area of personal experience. That said, while the introduction of the cute hamster under the old woman's hat was whimsical and fun, we didn't understand the hamster's purpose. Perhaps, if the hamster had been shown peeking out from behind the metronome in the illustration that appeared near the end on page 22, it would have worked better for us. Also, the way the story ended left us a little non-plussed. We believe that the message of the story needed to be reinforced at the end, rather than making the focal point the idea that the old woman and the child's violin instructor might be one in the same person.As for the art, we felt the story and illustrations flowed well together. We found the cover illustration to be well done and delightful-magical, in fact. Which made the interior illustrations more of a disappointment, as they come across to the viewer as pleasant but somewhat wooden.Overall, because of the important lesson it conveys, we would recommend The Magic Violin for the targeted 5 to 8 age range.