Emma G. Loves Boyz

The exuberant journal of a star-struck fan who vows to stop at nothing—even doing chores!—for a chance to see her favorite boy band perform live.

Thirteen-year-old Emma can’t believe her luck when her friend Jenny invites her to see Boyz3000 at their concert in the Bahamas. Surely once she finally meets lead singer Aaron, he’ll realize they were meant to be. Thankfully, Emma isn’t completely boy crazy: she’s also a budding writer who draws inspiration from Aaron’s song lyrics. Though Emma marks her journal with a dizzying amount of hysterical punctuation and all caps—“If I couldn’t go, I ACTUALLY MIGHT DIE!!!!”—she articulately defends her love for music to her teacher, Ms. Pinkens, who asks her to rewrite her essay on the subject. “With just some notes and some words, music can make you smile, or cry, or laugh or feel anything you can imagine,” Emma says. It’s refreshing to see a heroine with such a close-knit family: Emma’s parents are willing to indulge her fantasy but only if she earns some of the trip money herself; along the way, Emma’s sister Dianna and her 16-year-old cousin Elyse selflessly help Emma achieve her goal. Emma agrees to walk dogs and bake cookies to raise funds for her plane ticket—her parents offer to put money toward it, too—but her efforts don’t yield immediate results, teaching her valuable lessons about perseverance, honesty, and the cost of doing business. Meanwhile, teenage angst runs high as Emma’s trip sparks jealousy among the other girls in her class, and a realistic game of one-upmanship ensues. Once she’s in the Bahamas, Emma learns to align her expectations with reality as she and Jenny scour the resort, looking for Aaron. But this gentle depiction of young love offers a glimmer of hope in an otherwise hopeless celebrity crush. Emma meets a cute boy who might make her forget what she came for and remember why she loves to write.

Sweet but deafening, Emma’s contagious enthusiasm amplifies this wholesome fan letter for younger readers.