BEFIDDLED

Becky Cohen is a skilled violinist but struck by fear every time she has to perform at her weekly YMCA group lessons. The timid girl also grieves for her dead father and receives the brunt of her overworked mother’s frustrations. Becky finally finds friendship and confidence (both as a musician and individual) when she meets Mr. Freeman, her building’s handyman, who offers advice on body positioning, visualization and other methods of self-improvement. Author de Alcantara is a musician and teacher of the Alexander Technique, which uses kinesthetic training to develop more control and awareness in musicians, dancers and other artists. While the techniques introduced in the story are interesting, the story as a whole suffers from unoriginality, straying subplots and a too-tidy conclusion. Intermittent handmade newspapers by Becky’s precocious brother add humor with their slapstick articles, but references to Jimmy Hoffa, labor and delivery, and other more mature topics will be lost on young readers. For serious musicians who will concentrate on Becky’s training and forget the rest. (Fiction. 10-13)