Hard Rock

January 1, 2017
This second book of the Tig Ripley series continues as Tig and her all-girl band, Pandora's Box, struggle with middle school drama. Pandora's Box is made up of Tig and her classmates Olivia, Robbie, and Claire and her cousin Kyra. The five girls are now making attempts to improve their instrumental skills since gaining local notoriety winning a regional competition and appearing on a University of Alabama television show (Rock 'n' Roll Rebel, 2016). The weak link of the band has been Kyra, who can barely play a lick and seems to only be in the band because she wants to be famous. The girls fuss at rehearsals about Kyra's lack of skills, and Robbie brings in a talented new girl, Paris, who threatens Kyra's place in the band. Tig is still secretly pining over her secret crush, Will Mason, who is dating bandmate Olivia (a twosome that Tig paired up even though she had feelings for Will). Even when the author tries to throw in a divorce of one of the band mates' parents in a possible attempt to add substance, the drama among the girls supersedes any real depth. Along with Rue's failed attempt at teenspeak--"He's totes smart" ("totes" is just so 2010)--the characters lack complexity, and the band's story is reduced to a soap opera. Tig's world is largely white, with Chinese-American Robbie the only significant exception. If there were a reality show called Real Housewives of Tuscaloosa: The Middle School Years, this might suffice as the print version. (Fiction. 10-14)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 6-9-A well-paced sequel to Rock 'n' Roll Rebel. The girl band Pandora's Box is back together and experiencing growing pains. Tig's cousin Kyra is not pulling her weight as a musician, which may or may not be the result of her parents' divorce. Tig has to navigate the dynamics of friends and family as she eventually decides to kick Kyra out of the band. To add to the middle school drama, a new girl from another school has taken Kyra's place, changing the band, and another band member is dating the boy Tig likes. Rue handles all of this angst adeptly and thoughtfully without being preachy. Tig grows as the band's leader and as a person as she befriends a former enemy, makes new friends, and finds her first love. VERDICT A strong choice for middle schoolers who are not quite ready for YA.-Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH

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