The Magic Violin

Cute story!!!!!

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

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!

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.

BY: Gayle Jacobson-Huset Eight-year-old Melina takes violin lessons from Andrea, who is from Rumania. Andrea wears a beautiful large square-cut emerald ring on her right middle finger, and Melina admires it. Andrea tells Melina that it's her "good luck" ring and she never takes it off. When Melina struggles to learn the second movement of "Winter" by Antonio Vivaldi, she tells Andrea that she'll never be able to learn the difficult piece. Andrea tells her all she needs is a "magic dose of self trust". Wondering where she'd find that, Melina heads home. On Christmas Eve, Melina's parents take her to a big square plaza in the center of Brussels (Belgium) called The Grand Place. Angel statues stand on pedestals on all 4 corners of the square, there's a skating rink, and there's also a huge Gothic church with a big clock tower to complete the picture. While drinking some hot chocolate, Melina hears music - somebody is playing the violin! She recognizes the music - it's Vivaldi's "Winter"! The violin player is an old woman in a ragged patched dress. Her face hides behind a large black hat. Something glitters on the old woman's right hand, but Melina can't quite see what it is from where she stands. People are throwing coins into the old woman's violin case, so Melina asks her parents if she can, too. Her dad gives her a one-franc note. Melina walks up to the old woman and holds out the franc note. The old woman reaches out to take it. On her hand is a large, square-cut emerald ring! Just like her teacher's ring! Was it her teacher's ring? And what or who is hiding under the old woman's hat? You will just have to read this book to find out the fun ending to this wonderful story! Mayra makes this storyline and its backdrop magical, with just the right hint of mystery to it. Her characters' "voice" comes through loud and clear. Accompanied by the crisp, detailed, and lifelike illustrations of K.C. Snider, this book is a "keeper". This is a great read, especially for kids interested in music, mystery, magic during the holiday season, and the beauty of winter.

This whimsical and inspiring tale of Melina, a young child learning to play the violin, is enchanting in many ways. When Melina finds the task of learning to play the second movement of Antonio Vivaldi's `Winter' too daunting, she is reassured by her teacher, Andrea. Andrea affirms that if Melina will practice hard and never give up, she will learn to play the beautiful piece in time. The Christmas Eve scene in the Grand Place in Brussels is so wonderfully descriptive that the reader can almost smell the mulled wine, see the vari-colored Christmas lights, and feel the excitement of Christmas in the chilly air. A surprise is in store for Melina that Christmas Eve in the plaza, one which will change her life. Children and adults will love the magical realism of this gentle tale. At the same time, they will be inspired by it to have confidence in themselves, and to try hard to achieve a worthy goal by their own efforts. There is a sweetness in the story which will draw children and their parents and grandparents to read it again and again. The lovely illustrations of K.C. Snider enhance the narrative, and engage the reader. The cover depicting the Grand Place is particularly descriptive and lovely. Mayra Calvani writes fluently and well. This book will be a joy and an inspiration to any child who is learning to play a musical instrument, or who is working hard to achieve any difficult goal.