V.I.P. – Battle of the Bands

Jen Calonita's Battle of the Bands is a funny, fizzy boy-band story for 8 year olds, told through the journal of the band's biggest fan.

What happens

Mac Lowell's mum is tour manager for Perfect Storm, Mac's favourite band in the whole world. So Mac gets to sit in on recording sessions, hang out backstage and share muffins with Zander, Heath and Kyle. It's every fan's dream.

It's also VERY embarrassing at times! Early on she's tricked into flapping like a bird for a YouTube prank. Then Kyle, the quiet British guitarist she has a huge crush on, overhears her gushing about him. So she throws her journal at his head.

It's all written as Mac's diary, with lists, capital letters and daydreams about moving to Paris. It's literally like being inside the head of a super-excited fan. She means well, she panics a lot and she always thinks of the perfect comeback a bit too late.

The trouble starts with Thunder and Lightning, two brothers in matching jackets who were Perfect Storm fans until the boys brushed them off. Now they're rivals on the same record label. And the song they play on live morning TV sounds exactly like the one Kyle wrote about Mac. How did they get hold of it?

There's a mean older girl too, and a seaside psychic who warns Mac that a storm is coming for her. Mac also has a brilliantly silly fear of sharks, thanks to a film she really shouldn't have watched.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Worth knowing, Mac is in seventh grade, so she's a few years older than the youngest readers on this shelf. The crush on Kyle runs all the way through, with plenty of blushing and dreamy plans for the future. It all stays very innocent though (her mum says she's too young to date anyway). A few American school words might need explaining too.

If you've got a reader who's ever filled a scrapbook about a band or knows every word of their songs, they'll understand Mac completely.

What to read next

For the very start of Mac's journal, I'm With the Band has her still at home with her best friends, desperate for concert tickets and dreaming of meeting the boys.