Rock and a Hard Place

January 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-These titles follow the lives of teen heartthrobs in a family rock band. In Rock and a Hard Place, Peter, the lead singer, falls for Libby, a girl he meets at a nature preserve. Their relationship evolves, but tragic circumstances put Libby in a group home and the couple must find a way to stay together. In Snapshot, Adam, the guitarist, meets Marti at photography camp. They must face the death of Marti's grandmother, a pregnancy scare, and a few near-death injuries. Both books are told in alternating points of view between the two main characters. There are many similarities in plot and female characterization between the two books: both girls are creative, artsy blondes who come from strikingly different backgrounds than the charmed rock stars. Both girls also deal with troubling home lives, complete with absent or unfit parents. The eldest Jamieson attempts to spoil each younger brother's relationship for the sake of the band, and each boy storms off, only to eventually get what he wants. Girls looking for romance and light realistic fiction will show the most interest in these titles.-Adrienne L. Strock, Chicago Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
Grades 7-10 Rock stars aren't known for their wholesome, bernice ways, but Peter Jamieson, one third of the mega boy band The Jamieson Brothers, is, seemingly, the perfect guy. When Peter meets 16-year-old Libby in a remote Wisconsin glen, he becomes her reason for living. Libby, who lost her mother and younger sister in a car accident, was dropped off by her grieving father to live with her aunt, a nasty piece of work. Peter is drawn to Libby because she likes him for him; Libby, meanwhile, feels as if she has found someone to lean on and trust. But their lives are obviously on different paths, and when events spiral out of control for Libby, Peter may just lose her forever. This (highly) unlikely story of the love between an everyday girl and a pop star is full of Cinderella-style romance. Girls who swoon for boy bands (like that other all-boy band beginning with J) and romantic gestures will find themselves thoroughly entertained. An open ending promises another chapter of the Peter-Libby love story. Also check out Snapshot (2013), a companion novel featuring Peter's brother.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)