SEE THE MUSIC HEAR THE LIGHT by A.C. LeMieux

What if what makes you "different" is also the source of your own personal power?

Fourteen-year-old alto sax player Daniel James Durkin Jr. has two big goals for freshman year: make friends and make music.

Daniel was born with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic condition that can bring both remarkable gifts and stubborn challenges. His senses sometimes get their signals crossed: music comes in colors and certain noises feel like they're clobbering his ears. Visual-spatial tasks such as stairs, puzzles, and maps can be tricky for him. At Stonebridge High, finding the next class can be hard—never mind navigating academic and social mazes or the exacting drills of marching band.

And anxiety—one of WS's unwelcome "bonus features"—is always nearby, ready to spike when Daniel faces:

—Rival sax player Richie Janiczek's casual, escalating cruelty
—Ancient social studies teacher Mrs. Edna Hemming, who resists Daniel's IEP accommodations
—His well-meaning librarian mom, whose loving hovering increasingly collides with his need for independence

Luckily, Daniel has allies: his Resource Room crew—teacher Mrs. Staley; his science-loving fellow freshman, Dalton 1.6; and argumentative Sallie Block. And there is Phoebe, the new friend who saves him a seat on the bus and makes even the hardest parts of school worth showing up for. Band director Mr. Beck and longtime sax teacher Kevin Russell offer steady support. And Daniel still feels the presence of his late father, a former Marine Corps musician, whose memory serves as a kind of spirit guide.

When a Homecoming disaster and a devastating betrayal shatter a long-held musical dream, Daniel starts questioning his faith in others, his place in the band, and his belief in himself.

From A.C. LeMieux, author of the award-winning YA novels The TV Guidance Counselor, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults selection, and Do Angels Sing the Blues?, a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award winner, comes See The Music Hear The Light, a hopeful, unflinching coming-of-age novel about a neurodivergent teen and his world of music, friendship, bullying, self-advocacy, and the hard-won joy of finding his identity.

For educators, parents, and librarians: See The Music Hear The Light can be a springboard for conversations about neurodiversity, disability inclusion, self-advocacy, belonging, bullying, empathy, and identity, as well as the many ways a person can be a hero. The book carries an official Lexile Measure of HL740L (High-Low), high-interest: age-appropriate fiction at an accessible text complexity.