In The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, by Thad Carhart, Thad explains his re-kindling of love for pianos and their music. In this non-fiction genre book, copyright 2001, the author incorporates the beginning of his life, where his love of music started, and his present life in Paris where he runs into a strange atelier while walking his children to school.

As Thad Carhart discovers this peculiar atelier with an even stranger owner, he sees that he wants to continue his childhood passion of music. Soon Thad befriends the owner of the atelier, and buys his first piano since his childhood. Mr. Carhart quickly realizes he has forgotten his former skills, and begins to take piano lessons. As Thad explains his newly reborn love for music, he also explains the years of his youth, when pianos fascinated him and he began his study of music. In my opinion, this book would not be well suited for an average middle school student. Most students probably would not find the book interesting even if they had picked it up off the shelf, due to the author's profound nature of describing beautiful music, and the amazing pianos he discovers.

There are several reasons why I think The Piano Shop on the Left Bank would not be a good book for middle school students. One reason is unless the reader is interested in music and pianos they would most likely find the book incredibly boring. Another reason middle school students would not like the book is, the author uses a large repertoire of difficult and different vocabulary, which some readers might not understand. However, even though the story could be difficult to understand at times, if you share a passion for music like Carhart, you should definitely pick up a copy.