It's the summer of 1966: the Vietnam War is in full swing, the heat is unbearable, and Trudy (not Gertrude!) Mixer has Beatles fever. She's head of her school's Beatles fan club and is nursing a serious crush on Paul McCartney (no one cares about George), and while once this made her pretty cool, times are changing. Trudy's best friend abandoned her, and her once-popular club has shrunk to a measly three members, all of whom are a little weird. When Trudy's workaholic dad gets tickets to the Beatles show in Boston, it seems like her luck has changed, until a business trip interferes. Still, Trudy's determined to see the show, and she's left with the fan club: her three not-quite friends who, as it turns out, have ulterior motives. Hood, known primarily for her adult novels, offers up a coming-of-age story steeped in nostalgia, humor, and heart. There's obvious appeal for Beatles fans, but Trudy, irrepressible in her struggle to maintain friendships in a changing world, will win many admirers of her own.

In 1966, only Trudy and three nerds remain in Trudy's once-popular Beatles fan club. Amid unsettling changes--an aloof former best friend; a largely absent father; teasing about her full name, Gertrude--Trudy hopes her life will change from meeting Paul McCartney when the Beatles come to Boston. This detail-rich historical novel will resonate with today's tweens nurturing their own passions while dealing with shifting experiences.

Bestselling author Hood (The Obituary Writer) revisits Beatlemania through her narrator Trudy Mixer, a sixth grader growing up in Rhode Island in 1966. School has been great for Trudy and her best friend, Michelle-that is until Trudy returns from spring break, when everything changes. A substitute teacher calls Trudy by her hated real name, Gertrude, and the name sticks. Michelle acts aloof and sits with future cheerleaders Becky and Kimberly during lunch, practically ignoring Trudy. To make matters worse, hardly anyone shows up to Trudy-s Beatles fan club meeting-only the least popular kids in her grade. When Trudy learns that the Beatles are playing in Boston in August, she decides the solution to all her problems is meeting Paul McCartney, and formulates a plan to bring the three remaining club members with her. Hood alludes to unfolding events of historical significance, including the Vietnam War, but keeps the focus on Trudy-s personal fascinations and concerns. Beatles song titles are used as chapter headings that thematically relate back to incidents in Trudy-s life (including -We Can Work It Out- and -From Me to You-). This charming coming-of-age story acts as a time capsule, offering contemporary readers a glimpse into life in the 1960s while exploring issues young people face in every generation. Ages 10-up. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman. (June)

Gr 4-7 Trudy Mixer has been in love with the Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, since she saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show two and a half years ago. Now, 12-year-old Trudy is president of her school's Beatles Fan Club, the most heavily attended afterschool activity. That is, until a substitute teacher calls out "Gertrude," Trudy's despised full name, during attendance. Following this, Trudy's best friend Michelle inexplicably dumps her for the Future Cheerleaders Club and the Beatles Fan Club dwindles to only three members: the least popular kids at school. Trudy is sure only one thing can save the Club's popularity and her reputation: attending the Beatles concert in Boston and meeting Paul McCartney. All of the characters, even Trudy, are woefully one-dimensional, as are their relationships with each other and the eventual revelation of their personal problems. What this adventure lacks in stakes, it makes up for in details of popular music songs, brands, and trends of the 1960s. Unfortunately, rather than a fun and realistic glimpse into the past for contemporary Beatles fans, Hood's debut middle grade reads more like a reimagining of her own childhood. VERDICT For most readers and Beatles fans, Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly is a more rewarding choice. Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove Public Library, IL