'...distant hooves beat time with the name. Nick Nick Nicholas Nick, they cantered. A melody began that danced along on the magical words...' It's 1960 in an Australian country town - a time well before smartphones and social media. Fourteen-year-old Sandra, a shy but ambitious piano student, is on a journey of discovery. She's secretly in love with Nick Morgan, but he's already left school and hardly knows she exists. Everything changes when she finally gets to know Nick at a polocrosse carnival. Even her best friend and Sandra's beautiful piano become less important. But she is swept out of her depth by events which test the value of her friendships and challenge her in ways she could never have imagined. 'A truly absorbing tale for teenagers.' - Barbara Ker Wilson AM, University of Queensland Press (Ret.) 'There are so many beautiful passages, lovingly felt moments and deft touches that will strike the reader back to the purity of their own childhood, first love and love of the land that make for inescapable reading. I can thoroughly recommend it.' - Tom Thompson, ABC Radio 702 'A delightful coming-of-age story about first love, teenage dreams and the courage to face reality ... all told through a filter of beautiful music...' - Candida Baker