We Built This City

Patrick, Cat. We Built This City
April 2, 2024 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Public library copy

It's 1985, and 13 year old Stevie is thrilled to finally be touring with her youth group, Sychronicity. Her best friend Wes' mother, Margo, leads the troupe, which travels all across the US, playing at churches, schools, and occasionally off Broadway venues. Her older brother, Brandon, has been part of the group for several years, and is also along. The show that is being performed this year is "Night at the Movies", and there are songs from a number of movies from the era, such as 9 to 5, Grease, and even Xanadu. Part of the excitement for Stevie is that her long time crush, Joey, is also on the tour. She's so smitten that she can't bring herself to even talk to him, although they are partnered in several numbers. These are, of course, the highlight of her days. Wes encourages her to talk to Joey, just as she encourages him to talk to his crush, Tuesday. At least Wes calls Tuesday's private line at her home and leaves a message on her answering machine! Sometimes Joey is sweet, like the time that Brandon has a seizure and Joey takes care of him and even promises to keep it a secret, but other times he's kind of a jerk. Stevie's big move is to send a letter every day to Casey Kasem, outlining her feelings for Joey and asking to have a song played on the Long Distance Dedication portion of the program. She goes to great lengths to delay the group on Saturday mornings so that she can hear the songs, but is crushed week after week. The group gets to see Niagra Falls, New York City (where Stevie meets Baryshnikov!), Orlando, and Dallas, Texas, staying with host families, sleeping on the floors in church basements, and even spending a semi-disastrous night in a high school! Stevie also makes friends with the other girls on the tour, including Amy, who was adopted from China, and Christy, an older girl who knows sign language because both of her parents are deaf. When Stevie sees Joey kissing Christy in the pool, she's crushed. It's even worse when her dedication is played on Kasem's show, and Joey hears it! Luckily, it's near the end of the tour, and she's able to avoid Joey for most of the trip, although the two do finally have a heart-to-heart. At the end of the summer, Stevie is glad that she got to have such adventures, but is even happier to settle back into her regular life in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 

Strengths: Like Holm's Sunny Makes a Splash, this is an excellent look at what should be an amazing summer. Traveling the US in a mini van? With a group of friends? Putting on performances? My goodness! Modern readers will be amazed at the idea of host families, but I know for a fact that children were frequently places with local families while traveling; my high school orchestra traveled to a music competition in Columbus, Ohio in 1981, and families in Westerville put us up... and that's a big reason why I live there now! Sleeping in a high school and getting into trouble while the chaperones go into town? Absolutely. There are plenty of good details about ordinary life in the 1980s as well; technology, fashion, and lots of music. Stevie's infatuation will hit home with many readers, and the camraderie is fun to see. Based on the author's own experience, this will make most readers wish that they could be part of a similar group! 
Weaknesses: There was not much of a discernable plot, other than the development (or lack thereof) of Stevie's relationship with Joey. Even that fizzled for me, and I wanted some structure to hang all of the 1980s details on. Can't quite put my finger on why this would have helped, but I struggled a bit to feel invested in the story when it didn't seem to be going anywhere. It also would have been more fun if Stevie had had someone's shoulder to put her head on during the van rides. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to be on the road performing and have enjoyed Crowder's Mazie or Stroker's The Chance to Fly.