Juvenile Fiction Book Celebrates Music, Community, and Courage—Launching During Music in Schools Month

After working intensively since August on the relaunch of the book An Instrument for Florenda, I am thrilled to share the moment I have been waiting for.

A huge thank you to the team of professionals I was so fortunate to bring onboard:

New York Times bestselling Children's Book Editor, Jennifer Rees, who completed the copy editing. Her work includes many award-winning and New York Times bestselling titles, including Suzanne Collin's THE HUNGER GAMES series.

YoungJu Kim, who designed the book cover and illustrations. She is a digital artist and children's book illustrator. Her works have been included in Illustration West by Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, 3×3 Magazine Annual, CMYK, Creative Quarterly, What’s Up Annapolis, Savannah College of Art and Design, and many others.

Laura Edge, who completed the proofreading. She is an editor and an award-winning author of sixteen children's and young adult books.

I am so grateful to have been able to work with such amazing publishing professionals in the industry.

You can learn more about Jennifer, YoungJu, and Laura via their Reedsy profiles above.

Available on March 4, 2025, in print and eBook. 

 Early Reviews-

“The story is wonderful. There are so many beautiful and heartwarming moments here -hard work, perseverance, grit, love, and accomplishing something you really believe in and something your heart calls you to do.”- Jennifer Rees, Children's Book Editor at Reedsy

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“I liked how the author clearly explained what Florenda's relationships were with the other characters like The Lyles and her friend Lilly. I think these two things will make it easier for younger readers who are starting to read chapter books for the first time not to get confused despite the length of the story being longer than what they are used to reading. I also liked how the book showed that while things may not work out exactly how you want, there are other ways to get to where you want. I think this is an important lesson for young readers. Overall, I think this book is perfect for readers of younger ages who are just starting to read chapter books.”- 12- year-old LitPick Reviewer (5 stars)

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“An Instrument for Florenda by Tomeko Brown is wonderfully written. I loved the themes covered, such as the value of hard work, patience, and commitment to what we want to achieve, which will resonate with many readers. This thought-provoking work also got me thinking about the importance of having good neighbors. The plot flows seamlessly, leaving no room for confusion for the reader, and the easy-to-understand language used makes the work accessible to all kinds of audiences. The characters were well-developed, and the reader will also appreciate the illustrations in the book, which will capture their imaginations. This was a good read, and I look forward to reading something else by Tomeko Brown. “ Reviewed by Frank Mutuma for Readers’ Favorite (5 stars)

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"A rich and beautifully written story brimming with heart and hope. Bravissimo!"- Kristine L. ({Pages and Paws) at Reedsy Discovery (4.5 stars)

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“This book is a great chapter book for children who are at an age where they are starting to choose extracurricular activities and are learning how to put in the hard work to become successful”-LibraryThing Reviewer (5 stars)

“The sounds of today are tomorrow’s inspiration.” — Tomeko Brown, Author 

Pre-Order eBook on Amazon 

Pre-Order print book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Ages 7-11