The narrator for this audiobook, Kate Simses, was SO good. She saved the book for me. Had I read a print version, this would probably have been a two-star book because the cloyingly-sweet life sayings were just too much for me. The whole book was heavy-handed quotes about life that came across as the author trying too hard. But Simses did a beautiful job of bringing Emma to life and giving her a personality outside of her repeating every inspirational thing her mother or grandmother ever said. Music is also a big part of the story, and Simses perfectly incorporates that aspect as well. I imagine the sappy-quotes thing is a pet peeve of mine that kids may not mind, so I wouldn't hesitate to give this book to a reader into stories about friendship (with a pinch of magical realism).