“Each soul has a sound that is its signature–and your soul just wants to feel the vibrations of this sound.”
Meet Tripp and Lyla
On odd days, loner Tripp Broody uses a practice room to let loose on the guitar he’s borrowed from the school after his mom took his own away. One even days, Lyla Marks uses the same practice room. To Tripp, she’s trying to become even more perfect–she’s already a straight-A student and an award-winning cellist. But when Lyla begins leaving notes for him in between the strings of his guitar, his life intersects with hers in a way he never expected. Challenging each other to write songs, they begin to connect, even though circumstances threaten to tear them apart.
The Songs from Guitar Notes
Hear and download all the songs (and karaoke tracks) from the novel for free below.
Guitar Notes Covers
Extras
Download the free Guitar Notes Songbooks with all the lyrics and chord diagrams.
- Download the lyrics to sing your heart out.
- Download the chords songbook and watch the how-to play videos to learn how to play the songs.
What makes the Book Unique
The book shows the songwriting process from draft to finished result. Mary Amato wrote and recorded all the songs in the book. You can hear the songs, sing to the karaoke versions, learn how to write your own songs, and download free resources on this website.
More Resources for the Novel
- Guitar Notes Reader’s Guide
- Guitar Notes Teaching Unit
- Instructional behind-the-scenes videos, showing the process of writing the novel, the songs, and more.
- Video trailers for Guitar Notes & other Amato books
- Free songwriting lesson to download.
Honors and Reviews
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award nomination
- Utah Beehive Award nomination
- Connecticut Nutmeg Award nomination
- South Carolina Junior Book Award nomination
- MTV’s Hollywood Crush choice for Best Books of 2012
- Books in Bloom choice for Top Teen Books for 2012
“Amato celebrates the transformative power of music, words and friendship in this extraordinary novel. As a singer, songwriter, and poet herself, Amato is uniquely qualified to share Tripp and Lyla’s story with conviction, heart and authenticity.”–The Washington Independent Review of Books
“This one will resonate.” –Kirkus
“This tale of unlikely but desperately needed connection pulls all the right strings, drawing both protagonists out of their unhappy shells so gradually that their climactic duet performance at a wedding feels as cathartic as it is earned…Amato brings these characters to life with pitch-perfect detail and wrenching anxieties that will resonate strongly with readers.”–Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Amato nicely capture’s tripp’s love of music and Lyla’s anxieties…the characters’ chemistry will have readers’ hearts racing.” –Publisher’s Weekly.
“…a sweet story of two different loners finding their counterpoint.” –School Library Journal
“Guitar Notes is an utterly charming story of friendship and love between two unlikely teens who find each other through music. Perfect for younger and older teens, and grownup readers too.” –Random Acts of Reading