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Summary
Summary
Best-selling author Ann Hood tells the story of a girl swept up in the heart of 1960s Beatlemania. Written in her signature prose, Hood weaves a tale of four misfit friends who set off to see the Beatles' final world tour, each harboring a secret hope. What emerges is a sincere and funny story of growing up, making unexpected connections, and following your dreams even as the world in front of you--and the world at large--is changing too fast.
"Filled with love, hope, and longing, this is a novel for readers of all ages." - Holly Goldberg Sloan
Bestselling author Ann Hood crafts a funny, heartfelt story of a girl growing up in the heart of Beatlemania.
The year is 1966. The Vietnam War rages overseas, the Beatles have catapulted into stardom, and twelve-year-old Rhode Island native Trudy Mixer is not thrilled with life. Her best friend, Michelle, has decided to become a cheerleader, everyone at school is now calling her Gertrude (her hated real name), and the gem of her middle school career, the Beatles fan club, has dwindled down to only three other members--the least popular kids at school. And at home, her workaholic father has become even more distant.
Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide- the Beatles. She is set on seeing them in Boston during their final world tour--and meeting her beloved Paul McCartney. So on a hot August day, unknown to their families, Trudy and crew set off on their journey, each of them with soaring hopes for what lies ahead.
In her signature prose, Hood crafts an extraordinary story of growing up, making unexpected connections, and following your dreams even as the world in front of you--and the world at large--is changing too fast.
Author Notes
Ann Hood was born on December 9, 1956, in West Warwick, R.I. She attended the University of Rhode Island and New York University. For several years, she worked as a flight attendant before pursuing her dream of becoming a writer.
Ann Hood had a dream of writing ever since her first "novel" at the age of 11. It was not until 1987, with the publication of Somewhere off the Coast of Maine that she received the recognition she had been longing for. Set in the period from the 1960s to the 1980s, the story deals with the lives of three women of the Vietnam era and their children. Strong on emotion and personal growth, Hood's writing frequently examines the intricacies of various levels of relationships. Other works include Something Blue, which also involves the association between three friends.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Trudy Mixer has been in love with the Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, since she saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show two and a half years ago. Now, 12-year-old Trudy is president of her school's Beatles Fan Club, the most heavily attended afterschool activity. That is, until a substitute teacher calls out "Gertrude," Trudy's despised full name, during attendance. Following this, Trudy's best friend Michelle inexplicably dumps her for the Future Cheerleaders Club and the Beatles Fan Club dwindles to only three members: the least popular kids at school. Trudy is sure only one thing can save the Club's popularity and her reputation: attending the Beatles concert in Boston and meeting Paul McCartney. All of the characters, even Trudy, are woefully one-dimensional, as are their relationships with each other and the eventual revelation of their personal problems. What this adventure lacks in stakes, it makes up for in details of popular music songs, brands, and trends of the 1960s. Unfortunately, rather than a fun and realistic glimpse into the past for contemporary Beatles fans, Hood's debut middle grade reads more like a reimagining of her own childhood. VERDICT For most readers and Beatles fans, Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly is a more rewarding choice.-Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove Public Library, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestselling author Hood (The Obituary Writer) revisits Beatlemania through her narrator Trudy Mixer, a sixth grader growing up in Rhode Island in 1966. School has been great for Trudy and her best friend, Michelle-that is until Trudy returns from spring break, when everything changes. A substitute teacher calls Trudy by her hated real name, Gertrude, and the name sticks. Michelle acts aloof and sits with future cheerleaders Becky and Kimberly during lunch, practically ignoring Trudy. To make matters worse, hardly anyone shows up to Trudy's Beatles fan club meeting-only the least popular kids in her grade. When Trudy learns that the Beatles are playing in Boston in August, she decides the solution to all her problems is meeting Paul McCartney, and formulates a plan to bring the three remaining club members with her. Hood alludes to unfolding events of historical significance, including the Vietnam War, but keeps the focus on Trudy's personal fascinations and concerns. Beatles song titles are used as chapter headings that thematically relate back to incidents in Trudy's life (including "We Can Work It Out" and "From Me to You"). This charming coming-of-age story acts as a time capsule, offering contemporary readers a glimpse into life in the 1960s while exploring issues young people face in every generation. Ages 10-up. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In 1966, only Trudy and three nerds remain in Trudy's once-popular Beatles fan club. Amid unsettling changes--an aloof former best friend; a largely absent father; teasing about her full name, Gertrude--Trudy hopes her life will change from meeting Paul McCartney when the Beatles come to Boston. This detail-rich historical novel will resonate with today's tweens nurturing their own passions while dealing with shifting experiences. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
"All I had was an invalid mother, three oddball friends, a father who didn't know I was alive anymore, and a sliver of hope that meeting Paul McCartney could change all that."By the time Trudy makes this statement, readers know that she tends to overdramatize her life but also that she is determined to meet Paul McCartney. She is a sixth-grader who explains that she felt exhilarated when, in 1964, she began her elementary school's Beatles Fan Club, which, by September of junior high, sported 23 members. Now, after April vacation, 1966, everything has changed: Her best friend is hanging out with cheerleaders; she is suddenly being teased about her full name, Gertrude; and her fan club has been reduced to herself, awkward Peter, uncool Jessica, and unkempt Nora. The good news: The Beatles will perform in August in Boston, just 50 miles from Trudy's Rhode Island home. The text is laden with references to 1960s history, fashion, and popular culturealthough air-raid drills go unmentioned. In a nice, perspective-lending touch, elevator music and disposable diapers are predicted for the future. All characters are default white. Trudy's voice and her relationships with parents and peers ring true to an adolescent slowly making sense of her life and the people in it. Her perseverance, cleverness, and sense of humor will keep readers turning the pages to see if she does meet her favorite Beatle.Trudy's persistence after initial failure will resonate even with middle graders who've never heard of the Fab Four. (Historical fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
It's the summer of 1966: the Vietnam War is in full swing, the heat is unbearable, and Trudy (not Gertrude!) Mixer has Beatles fever. She's head of her school's Beatles fan club and is nursing a serious crush on Paul McCartney (no one cares about George), and while once this made her pretty cool, times are changing. Trudy's best friend abandoned her, and her once-popular club has shrunk to a measly three members, all of whom are a little weird. When Trudy's workaholic dad gets tickets to the Beatles show in Boston, it seems like her luck has changed, until a business trip interferes. Still, Trudy's determined to see the show, and she's left with the fan club: her three not-quite friends who, as it turns out, have ulterior motives. Hood, known primarily for her adult novels, offers up a coming-of-age story steeped in nostalgia, humor, and heart. There's obvious appeal for Beatles fans, but Trudy, irrepressible in her struggle to maintain friendships in a changing world, will win many admirers of her own.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2018 Booklist