Papierklavier
(Paper Piano) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Maia doesn’t have it easy. She lives with her single mother and two younger sisters in an apartment much too small, money is tight, and the refrigerator is chronically empty. The sisters have different fathers, neither of whom cares about them. The family receives affection and support from another source: their neighbor, Grandma Sieglinde, who sometimes helps out with food, sometimes with money, but mostly with her time and her piano, on which Maia’s sister Heidi is learning to play.
Edited by: ALEKI - Arbeitsstelle für Kinder- und Jugendmedienforschung
Comment:
With seemingly little effort, Elisabeth Steinkellner is able to give Maia an authentic voice. A voice with which she rebels against conventional standards of beauty and behavior, confidently and strongly fighting for her own happiness, however small it may be. The 16-year-old receives unconditional support from her friends Clara […] and Alex. The texts by the Austrian author and the illustrations by Berlin-based illustrator Anna Gusella seem to come from a single source. Gusella plays elegantly with the colors black and mint green, with typography and layout. The design of the diary/sketchbook becomes a literary-aesthetic composition which allows for deep insight into Maia’s inner life.