A spark ignites inside 14-year-old Iz Beaufort when she hears school music group Manifesto perform. Even though she hasn't written a song since That Place, she recognizes herself in the moving performance and longs to be part of the group, certain that they might actually understand her.

But Manifesto is based at the prestigious Métier School, and Iz has bounced through 26 foster homes. Plus, there's no way Dominion Children's Care would ever send a foster kid to a private school when a public option is available. So Iz does what any passionate, broken, off-the-chart wunderkind might and takes matters into her own hands.

Iz fakes her way in only to face a new set of challenges: tuition fees, tough classwork and new classmates she can't immediately identify as friends or foes. And if she can't handle all this while keeping how she got into Métier a secret, she'll risk getting kicked out of both school and her current home.

But a life with music — a life where Iz gets to have a voice — might be worth risking everything. (From Common Deer Press)

Susan Currie is a writer and an elementary teacher. Her previous books include The Mask That Sang and Basket of Beethoven. Currie lives in Brampton, Ont.