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The Piano at the Station

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The Piano at the Station by Helen Rutter and Elisa Paganelli

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By Helen Rutter and Elisa Paganelli

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23 reviews

Constantly in trouble at school with little encouragement at home, Lacey’s future looks bleak until she discovers a love of music in this compelling tale by bestseller Helen Rutter.

Lacey’s smart tongue and quick temper are constantly getting her confined to isolation at school. But there’s a lot more to her that most people never see, and when Lacey gets sent to lunch-time music lessons to keep her out of trouble, she discovers a love and talent for the piano that opens up a whole new world for her. Just as she’s really beginning to make progress, her music teacher has to leave, which throws Lacey back into turmoil. Will she go back to her self-destructive ways or will music offer her a way to save her from herself? Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Reviews

07 Aug 2026

I loved this book so much it might have even been my favourite book I have read all summer I enjoyed knowing that how you start is not always how you end this book has filled me with happiness and laughter I would recommend this book to my friends as it has inspired me on a love of music

24 Jul 2026

The part where she played the piano really intrests me into getting the book

23 Jul 2026

I liked the ending.

19 Jul 2026

Great book, nice read on a Sunday evening

19 Jul 2026

amazing graphics

18 Jul 2026

I have this book

11 Jul 2026

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The choice of character development for belonging is extremely intelligent, especially with a theme of music. I give this book 5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone.

11 Jul 2026

I like the book and I would like to play a piano

07 Jul 2026

I like the character Lacey because she is cheeky and funny and loves playing the piano like me . It was amazing , funny , mysterious and adventurous . First when I looked at the book I thought it was not interesting at all but when I read it ,I loved the story.This book tell’s us about a little girl called Lacey and the hard times she went through . I recommend this for older children like 9-11 even though it said 8-11 books .So now you know why I rated this book 5 out of 5 !!!!!

29 Jun 2026

I loved it so much
I don't know how to say it u from how good it is
I'm speackless!

27 Jun 2026

locoraco

The Piano at the Station is an ideal book for empathy reading. It is published by Barrington Stoke in a dyslexia-friendly format designed for reluctant readers.

If Nathanael Lessore, the author of King of Nothing, is good at writing teenage stories from a young boy's point of view, Helen Rutter is good at narrating a story about growing up from a young girl's perspective.

The writer uses vivid language to portray Lacey Layton's character and her struggles to fit in in school. Her destructive behaviour, emotional turmoil can all be explained, if we look into her turbulent family life more closely. Her constant argument with the teachers, violent temper, and rebellious character come from her troubled family background - sharing a room with her sisters, not having a personal space, and breakup between her father and mother.

With the leaving of Mr Day and the council's decision to take away the piano at the station, Lacey loses her emotional support and hope when she has just started to enter the whole new world of music. The second turning point of her life emerges when she takes the courage to fight for what she desires by asking her sister to help livestreaming a short video of her playing the piano at the station.

The novella is not just about the power of music, but the courage to pursue positive changes. The writer uses the black notes on the piano to represent the talent that Lacey has, while the white keys represent the part of life and talent that Lacey hasn't explored yet. If she plays the white keys too, this will bring more joy to life.

The book is a lovely read and I am sure teenagers can resonate with the theme of self-discovery and be more understanding to their peers who may face similar challenges in their family. Frontline teachers and school workers will also find the book enjoyable, as the portrayal of Lacey is so close to reality.

24 Jun 2026

It a good book I love at it was about lacy she was bulled at school

03 Sep 2024

It was a bit to long I didn’t really like it . It was a fiction I think I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but people who do piano .

24 Aug 2024

I liked it because it tells you about the piano

24 Aug 2024

I liked it because it tells you about the piano

15 Aug 2024

Was not that good, I thought it was a bit boring.

28 Jul 2024

Awsome

26 Jul 2024

I like how this book shows that some people have hidden talents like lacey and are not just a random person.

26 Jul 2024

I don't like it because the girl is rude

19 Jul 2024

MairiG

Thought the story was going to be more than this… Liked the character of the music teacher and the description of everything clearing from Lacey’s head when she plays the piano… but, apart from that, I found it quite disappointing…

12 Jan 2024

It is kind of interesting but dislike the part where the girl was really nasty.

28 Dec 2023

This book was good to read, I liked the words that they used.

30 Sep 2023

Lacey is always in trouble at school spending more time in isolation than she does in her own class and she just doesn’t care. In a last attempt to help, Lacey’s head teacher, Mrs Hukin sends her to lunchtime music therapy class where she can “stay out of trouble… be safe and stay away from the kids she struggles with.” Lacey soon discovers that she has an amazing musical gift, a gift that allows her to escape the thoughts in her head and finally feel calm and filled with peace.
Lacey is a wonderful character, although she clearly has own difficulties through a love of music she learns to express herself in a very powerful way. I found it heart-warming to read of Mrs Hukin too, a head teacher who doesn’t want to give up and get rid of what is obviously a very disruptive student.
My only criticism of The Piano at the Station, published by Barrington Stoke in their unique and ultra-accessible way, is how short it is. The characters and storyline are so strong leaving you wanting more, it would make a wonderful full length chapter book.

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