A String in the Harp

A String in the Harp, by Nancy Bond, is a story about 15 year old named Jen Morgan who flies to Whales to visit her family for Christmas. She is not expecting very much from the trip, and at first it seems that she will leave unsatisfied. Her brother Peter is angry at her, her little sister missed her a lot, and her father is preoccupied with his job as a teacher that brought the family to Whales after their mother's sudden death. However, when her brother finds a magical harp key that shows him glimpses of an ancient bard's life, Jen and Peter must work together with their family to save the hard key, and protect themselves.

When I read A String in the Harp, I remember thinking that it had an enjoyable story-line, but it was not a book that I would necessarily read over and over. I am not sure why I did not connect with the story, but I think it had to do with the fact that I could not really relate to the characters. The way the author portrayed them made it so I had a hard time comparing myself to them. This kept me from immersing myself in the story the way that I normally like to do with books. It does have a good fantasy story line though, so I would recommend it to upper elementary and middle school students who are looking for a fantasy book to fill the time in between the releases of Harry Potter and the third Inheritance Trilogy.