Battle of the Bands

May 15, 2016
A preteen superfan must defend her favorite boy band when a new group tries to steal their spotlight.In this second book in the VIP series, Mackenzie Lowell has officially been accepted into the inner circle of pop sensation Perfect Storm. Thanks to her tour-manager mother, the feisty 12-year-old tours with the band, spending her days on the road with the boys and her friend Jilly (whose father is their manager) and writing in her journal. A new band, with the suspiciously similar name Thunder and Lightning, has joined the tour and stolen the song that PS member Kyle had written for Mac. Then secrets from Mac's journal begin to show up on the vlog of a wannabe reporter (and Thunder and Lightning fan) named Bad Kitty. Mac and Jilly must unearth Bad Kitty's identity and stop her before it's too late. As a prank war escalates between the boy bands and Bad Kitty's mean-spirited vlog gains followers, could PS' tour be--gasp--canceled? Though sufficiently suffused with the realistic energy of a preteen fan traveling with her favorite band, the mystery in this volume feels contrived; even the most novice detective would be able to guess Bad Kitty's identity long before any clues come to light. Despite the lack of depth, this offering's high-energy, high-interest diary format interspersed with Mac's comics keeps the pages turning. (With the exception of a character in the comic, the cast appears to be largely white.) A fast read frothing over with sugary pep and cuteness. (Fiction. 7-12)

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July 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 Mac is back on the road with her favorite band, Perfect Storm. Unfortunately, the Sizzling Summer Boys tour isn't going well. For one thing, PS has to share the stage with newcomers Thunder and Lightning (total PS rip-off!), who have stolen a PS song to use as their first single. Animosity runs high, and prank wars ignite between the two bands, but soon private information about PS begins appearing onlineposted by a mysterious Bad Kitty. Compounding the backstage drama are Mac's continued crush on PS guitarist Kyle and her realization that everything Bad Kitty writes seems ripped from the pages of Mac's journal. Mac knows she must unmask the vengeful blogger to save her beloved band's reputation as well as her own. As in VIP: I'm with the Band (2015), Mac's cool alter ego, Mac Attack, appears in comic-book spreads throughout her diary-style confessional. Calonita nicely captures the extremes of tween emotions, with appropriate squeals, swoons, and tears. Friendship and loyalty take center stage in this enjoyable addition to the VIP series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)