May 15, 2023
A seventh grader fixates on a Bieber-esque heartthrob in this middle-grade novel. Millicent "Millie" Jackson loves 15-year-old Rory Calhoun with all her 12-year-old heart. So what if she's never met him and millions of others feel the same way? Rory's beautiful honey-blond hair, freckles, and golden voice have captivated Millie, and when Rory announces he's going on tour, Millie knows she has a shot at finding love. When she's not navigating the halls of Susan B. Anthony Middle School near Minneapolis and enduring dinners with her family--including sassy Grandma Cheryl and precocious 5-year-old brother Billy--Millie pens earnest letters to him, her very own "worldwide crush," and fixates on Bodega Bay, California, Rory's sleepy beach hometown. When Millie's mother is able to procure concert tickets, the show is canceled at the last minute due to a family emergency involving Rory's beloved mother, much to the heartbreak of Millie and Rory's legions of fans. Will Millie ever cross paths with Rory Calhoun? Nilsen was inspired to write the novel based on her own childhood crushes--Shaun Cassidy, Davy Jones, and the Bee Gees--and after witnessing the more recent pop-star phenomenon of Justin Bieber. The author's prose style is perfect for middle-grade readers--fast-paced and natural, with the accuracy of the high highs and low lows that come with the emotions of a seventh grader experiencing her very first crush. Millie's narrative voice is as bubbly and sweet as Rory Calhoun's song lyrics. She's a typical tween girl who's embarrassed by her family but loves them anyway and is consumed by a distant love that feels as real as the romantic relationships she'll eventually have as an adult. Even Rory, who makes an appearance later in the book, feels like a real teenager, albeit one who's experiencing global stardom. A delightful, nostalgic tribute to innocent fandom.
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April 17, 2023
Former children’s librarian Nilsen charms in her literary debut, a first-rate middle-grade tale which showcases the deeply felt moments of tweens and teens in the emotional throes of a celebrity crush. Thirteen-year-old Millie Jackson, like half the world’s tweens and teens, crushes hard on fifteen-year-old Justin Bieber-esque pop star Rory Calhoun. When her idol plans a concert stop in Minneapolis (a stone’s throw from Walnut Grove Estates, where Millie lives on Laura Lane) Millie is beside herself with joy. But after Rory has to unexpectedly cancel his Minneapolis concert, Millie is crushed. Her plan B? Convince her parents to vacation in Bodega Bay, California—Rory’s hometown—under the guise of a new passion for gray whales and their migration. Surprisingly, they agree — and what happens next is every young girl’s fantasy.
Nilsen perfectly captures the angst and emotions of a teenager in the throes of her first celebrity crush—the doodling of “Millie Calhoun” on folders, the emoji-laden texts, the highest highs and lowest lows.Nilsen also includes a first-rate cast of supporting characters, especially Millie’s outrageous grandmother Cheryl, who steals every scene she’s in; Millie’s uber-understanding mother Carrie, and Millie’s sassy bestie Shauna. Even more importantly, Nilsen brings subtle but powerful attention to anxiety attacks as a health concern rather than a “crazy” thing, with Rory, refreshingly, thoroughly understanding and supportive of his mother’s struggles.
While the story is geared to middle-graders, their mothers will also enjoy reading and remembering their own teen-crush days, a resonant feeling for women of all ages. Even more fun, Nilsen sprinkles in past teen idols’ names throughout (such as Leaf Garrett, here a popular middle school teen rather than Leif the Seventies singer) and confesses her own celebrity crush was Shaun Cassidy — which will send mothers back into their first celebrity crushes.
Takeaway: Tweens—and their mothers—will relish this story of the giddiness and angst of first love.
Great for fans of: Helena Hunting’s Meet Cute, Sariah Wilson’s #Starstruck; Zoey Dean’s How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A