The Road to You

Gr 8 Up—In this sequel to Wildflower (Little, Brown, 2014), readers catch up with newly discovered country star Bird Barrett as she begins a road tour following the successful release of her first album. Despite her newfound fame, Bird is still a regular girl dealing with the usual teenage insecurities, especially boyfriends. Her budding relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Adam (readers met him in the first book) is in a questionable state, and at the same time tour hand Kai catches her eye and a piece of her heart. A strong cast of supporting characters make return visits in this second trilogy installment: Bird's parents, whose wise and measured parenting keep her grounded in reality; Anita, her public relations manager who keeps her squarely in the spotlight; and Stella, her faithful friend with whom she can just be herself. Bird leans on them as she navigates the complicated, rumor-infested word of fame while simultaneously struggling to write songs for her second album. Whitaker's keen ability to write authentically in the voice of Bird offers readers a complete behind-the-scenes look at life in the fast lane of celebrity and success. The author's knowledge of music, especially songwriting, makes the story more authentic, and, as she did in the first novel, Whitaker includes an appended section with complete lyrics and music to Bird's next potential hit song.