In order to play more music in the future, Gwilym first has to deal with the past.

Thirteen-year-old Gwilym Duckworthy has a supportive family consisting of his dad, stepmom Ferguson, grandma, aunt and uncle, and his older siblings, sister Bex and brother Clay. His best friends, Cat and Hattie (who is also his cousin), live on either side of him. He’s going to learn how to play the trumpet, and he has a job delivering Cat’s uncle Hal’s produce. His life is good.

Listen opens on Thanksgiving day—Gwilym’s favorite holiday. It’s a day he can spend with his family and friends playing their annual football game and scavenger hunt. What could go wrong? Maybe a call from his mom—the one family member who left them when he was three years old? She is going to be in town with her jazz band to play two nights at Princeton University. Why has she decided to contact only him? Should Gwilym meet with her without his sister and brother? Does he want to know why she left them?

The second book in the Sourland Mountain series, Listen delves into the issue of abandonment and how through forgiveness or acceptance the characters find out they are more alike than unalike.