Rockoholic

October 15, 2012
Skuse (Pretty Bad Things) returns with a raucous story of romance, rock music, and accidental kidnapping. Sixteen-year-old Jody is crushed when her wild, ex-rocker grandfather dies, but she’s determined to follow his parting advice: “Don’t Dream It, Be It.” Jody focuses her energies on meeting her favorite American rock star, Jackson Gatlin; when Jackson comes to the U.K. on tour, she has a chance run-in with him and offers him a candy bar—which he mistakes for a knife. Jody goes along with the misunderstanding and, with the reluctant help of her best friend Mac, brings Jackson to her home in Nuffing-on-the-Wold. As the search for Jackson intensifies, Jody is shocked when the strung-out, burnt-out prima donna refuses to leave. Jody’s wisecracking narration and impulsive (but good) nature is entertaining, as is her turbulent friendship with Mac, who she assumes is gay, but who is blatantly in love with her. As comical as it is unlikely, Skuse’s story shines a light on the pressures of fame and the process of seeing oneself from a new angle. Ages 14–18.

October 15, 2012
The consequences of unintentionally kidnapping her rock-star hero reverberate through a misfit English teen's life. Grieving for her life-and-soul-of-the-party grandfather, Jody waits all day in line at the Cardiff Arena, desperate for a chance to interact with Jackson Gatlin, the dramatic lead singer of her favorite band, The Regulators. When they meet backstage, Jody is horrified to see the mask of stardom slip away, revealing a miserable, lost soul rather than the assured, sexy star she worships. Jackson, high and hallucinating, mistakes a shiny candy wrapper for a knife, leading Jody to bundle him off home in her best friend Mac's car. Once Jackson realizes that he's in what amounts to a secret location, he refuses to leave: Sick of fame, terrified of his sadistic manager and wanting to get sober at last, he's ready for a normal life. Skuse lets readers see the entitled, self-centered and self-loathing side of international superstardom, slowly forcing Jody to face the reality that famous people are just...people. Jody and Jackson embark on an increasingly stable friendship, while Jody begins to see Mac--supposedly gay but secretly pining for her--as a true love interest. A bit of over-the-top silliness with a very determined local journalist and the cartoonish nastiness of Jackson's manager are credulity-straining limitations, but these are minor flaws. Overall, this engaging, surprisingly serious caper is rock-solid. (Fiction. 13-16)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Sixteen-year-old Jody's obsession with Jackson Gatlin, the lead singer of the band The Regulators, only amps up following the death of her beloved, free-spirited grandfather. In the chaos following a Regulators concert, Jody accidentally kidnaps Jackson and keeps him in the garage behind her house. She quickly learns that her idol isn't the person she believed him to be. With the help of her friend Mac, she deals with Jackson's unpredictable behavior and mood swings and helps him to detox while the rest of the world believes that he has died. Just as Jackson acclimates to Jody and Mac and begins to plan for a new life out of the spotlight, a nosy local reporter begins to suspect that the famous singer is hiding nearby. Jody is able to make arrangements to sneak Jackson out of the country just in time. On a mission to make sense of her grandfather's parting words, "Don't dream it, be it," she struggles to find herself, be understood, and understand her relationships with those closest to her. Teens will appreciate Jody's journey of self-discovery despite it being set to the unlikely premise of successfully carrying out a celebrity kidnapping.-Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.