She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)

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.