After the Wallpaper Music

Jean Mills has been writing professionally for over 30 years, her five Young Adult novels received critical acclaim in Canada and internationally. Skating Over Thin Ice was a 2019 Forest of Reading Red Maple Fiction nominee and was named to the USBBY Outstanding International Book List. Jean is a former college Communications professor, and she also spent ten years on the Media & Communications team at Curling Canada. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing one of her many musical instruments, creating something with yarn, or cheering for the Maple Leafs. Jean lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Praise for After the Wallpaper Music 2024 Junior Library Guild selectionThe Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press: September 2024” Feature The Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press: October 2024” Feature“Mills...employs a cozy writing style that is both breezy and immersive. Poignant life lessons and a focus on the emotions evoked by music permeate this soulful novel.”—Publishers Weekly “Flora’s small town and new school year is stirred by the arrival of a former rock star’s family seeking privacy, introducing her and her classmates to the withdrawn son, Simon....empathetic readers may find a mirror in Flora who champions kindness towards outsiders like Simon.”—Booklist “With Battle of the Bands on the horizon and the pressure to play with not one, but two bands, Flora is not sure where her future lies in music. Can she be everything to her friends while staying true to herself? With the focus fully on Flora, readers will get a chance to see the inner workings of her family and community. The middle school dynamics also ring true.”—School Library Journal“From the warm chaos of music class, to the joking stereotypes between instruments, to the classical and rock and Newfoundland folk tunes, every detail evoked the joy of music, for the art itself and the feeling that grows when playing with other musicians.”—YA Books Central“I really, really liked this book!...After the Wallpaper Music is a story that leaves you with a good taste in your mouth, one that lingers long after you've finished reading it....Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine“There is a really special connection that forms between people who make music together; it’s like a form of telepathy sometimes when you can perfectly match their energy in the music. This made the friendships between the characters even more meaningful, deep, and realistic.”—Luminous Libro“This fun and heartwarming story of adolescence will entertain young readers with its themes of life, family, and friendship.”—CLCD – Children’s Literature “Well-written, beautifully flowing, and heart-felt, this book celebrates music while also addressing issues of loss, friendship, family, and change.”—Puget Sound Council