Rue, Ginger. Tig Ripley: Rock 'n' Roll RebelSeptember 1st 2016 by Sleeping Bear Press
Library Copy
Antigone (Tig) has decided that the world needs a girl group, and she's going to oblige. Even though she is just starting the guitar, and she talks her cousin into taking up the bass, she's sure that she can pull together a decent group. The quirky, punkish Robbie is a good fit for the lead guitarist, and Olivia already plays piano, so the keyboard is covered. None of the girls sing, however, so they approach middle school diva and mean girl Haley. She agrees to work with them, but since she is the lead singer, she feels that the group should bend to her every wish. She's more pop than rock, and Tig is bound and determined to have a rock group, which the girls have named Pandora's Box. Eventually, they have to give Haley the boot, and Haley's friends try to make life uncomfortable for everyone. There are ups and downs, but the group perseveres.
Strengths: Who doesn't want to be in a rock band? I, personally, am going to spend my retirement years writing middle aged angst ballads and name my band Little Red Corvette. Like Christine Lavin, I will have at least one song about defrosting the freezer.
Sorry. Got distracted. Strengths of the BOOK. This has several topics that middle school girls like-- girls drama, and music. It was upbeat, with realistic, supportive families. The format is excellent-- the cover good and the pages have a lot of white space. Serviceable middle grade title on a topic that is rarely covered, with a theme of girl power being an added plus.
Weaknesses: The dialogue occasionally sounded... wrong. The girl drama was cliche and the book was predictable to me. Will it be to the target demographic? No.
What I really think: I think my readers will enjoy this one, even if it wasn't the best book I've read. Bonus points for no major characters dying.
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