Andy, a new girl moves to Pearsonville hoping that playing on the girls’ basketball team and playing in the school orchestra will fill the void after losing her father to complications from sickle cell anemia and having no memories of her mother. Early on, Andy joins the close-knit group of orchestra friends, Sebastian, Bruce, Megan, Keneshia, and Ben.

In Book I, of this young adult series, orchestra teacher Jonathan Forte refers to his students’ distractions as squeals, groans, and off-beat rhythms. Book II, Orchestra Friends: Redemption, tells of fewer individual distractions during the friends’ junior year in high school.

However, all is not perfect at Pearson High nor in the town of Pearsonville. Students and town residents were confused as to why their star quarterback, Mike Green, could not throw a straight pass to any of the wide receivers, leaving the town with a disappointing football season.

Sebastian had asked Mike if there was a problem, but Mike never revealed anything. An explosion in downtown Pearsonville destroyed the town’s most popular restaurant.

Newcomer, Delores Bell, seizes the opportunity to make her bakery prosperous and relevant to the downtown business area. She also seeks to make amends for an unwise decision she had once made.

And where is Joan. .

. Megan’s nemesis from the previous year?During a concert, attended by the orchestra friends, an instrumental arrangement of “Redemption Song” by famous composer Bob Marley, proved inspirational to Pearson High School’s orchestra.

. .