Overview

From beloved graphic novelist Whitney Gardner comes a big-hearted, touching, and spooky coming-of-age story about a young aspiring songwriter who forms a ghostly partnership with the pop star who haunts her secondhand piano. The piano is free, but fame has a price. On the sleepy streets of Cascade Cove, lonely Margot knows that when she stumbles across a discarded synthesizer with a ""not haunted"" sign, she's discovered the key to realizing her dreams. Determined to become a real songwriter and earn her absent father's admiration, Margot dives headfirst into trying to gain followers and fans online. But her musical journey takes an unexpected turn when she realizes the (not haunted) piano is very much...haunted. Enter Vision, teen pop sensation of 1979 whose untimely demise left her spirit intertwined with the keys of her synthesizer. Though Margot and Vision couldn't be more different, the girls form an unlikely bond fueled by their shared passion for music. But as Margot's obsession with fame and recognition grows, she may come dangerously close to losing what she loves about music...and herself.

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Reviews

A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF 2025 A THE WEEK JUNIOR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A KIDS' INDIE NEXT LIST PICK A 2025 HARVEY AWARD NOMINEE A LITTLE MAVERICK GRAPHIC NOVEL READING LIST SELECTION ""A fast-talking ghost mentor, an endearing tween, and a possibly cursed musical instrument combine in this emphatically rock-'n'-roll graphic novel that riffs on themes of identity, legacy, and learning to own one's sound...Dynamic paneling engages readers and supporting characters...add warmth and charm to a ghost story that somewhat heavily ruminates on feelings of alienation, artistic ambition, parental disconnect, and the seductive pull of fame.""--Publishers Weekly ""A great addition to middle grade collections, this graphic novel balances supernatural humor with real-world emotional resonance.""--School Library Journal ""A lively ghost story that hits all the right notes.""--Kirkus Reviews ""Just like every great song, Free Piano (Not Haunted) stays with you. Spooky, heartfelt, and so much fun!""--Dave Scheidt, co-creator of the Mayor Good Boy series ""Though the title is a bald-faced lie, Free Piano (Not Haunted) is a wonderfully honest story about fame, ambition and, yes, ghouls. (Nice ghouls, though!)"" --Griffin McElroy, co-creator of The Adventure ""Humor, mystery, family, friendship drama, and of course, ghosts. This book has it all."" --Aron Nels Steinke, creator of Mr. Wolf's Class

Author Information

Whitney Gardner is an author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She started drawing stick figures in second grade and somehow no one's been able to stop her. If there's ever a moment when she isn't drawing, she's likely to be found rolling twenty-sided dice. Her favorite color is yellow. She is the author of the YA novels You're Welcome, Universe and Chaotic Good, as well as the creator of Fake Blood, Long Distance, and Free Piano (Not Haunted) and the illustrator for Debbie Levy's Becoming RBG and Stephanie Cooke's The Racc Pack series.

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