Wonderful Feels Like This

by Sara Lövestam. Sweden.
Steffi's never fit in, and she's viciously teased by the other girls in her class. Her only escape is through her music—especially jazz music. When Steffi hears her favorite jazz song playing through an open window of a retirement home on her walk home from school, she decides to go in and introduce herself. The old man playing her favorite song is Alvar. When Alvar was a teenager in World War II Sweden, he dreamed of being in a real jazz band. Then and now, Alvar's escape is music—especially jazz music. Their unconventional but powerful friendship celebrates being a little bit odd, finding your people, and the power of music to connect us.
Winner of the Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year award.
Paperback, 312pp. 2013