Stevie is 12 and gets to finally go on her performing troop’s 1985 cross-country tour. As part of a group of 26 teenagers, she gets to see the country while they dance and sing. She soon realizes she has a crush on Joey, another boy on the tour. She keeps trying to share her feeling with him but can’t manage to do so. She even tries to get Casey Kasem to dedicate a song to him on the top 40 countdown. Meanwhile, her brother, Brandon is also on tour and his epilepsy seems to be getting worse. Can Stevie express her feelings to her crush? Can she figure out how to help Brandon?

The plot is sweet and exuberant. The main characters are likable and engaging. The author does a great job of mixing heavier and lighter themes together. Readers will relate to Stevie’s navigation of friendships, family, and her crush. 80s-themed fashion, slang, and music will delight and engage readers who like this music era. A fun reader for those who like realistic fiction, historical fiction, friendship, adventure, and romance. Recommended for middle grade collections.

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

This is a book you could hand to the kids interested in singing, the 80s or crushes. I recently reread some of my diaries from when I was a tween and the voice rings true (at least for the kind of kid I was). It sounded very much like the thoughts and actions of kids that age. While I don’t think it’s one of those books you can hand to every single kid and they will likely enjoy it, I think there are many specific kids who will absolutely love and be thankful for it.

This book was fantastic. Set in 1985, We Built This City follows Stevie, a tween member of a teen lip sync & dance group traveling across the country over the summer. This book does a great job of capturing the spirit of the 80s. I am so jealous I was never in a traveling lip synching group as a kid. There should definitely be a playlist to accompany this book due to all of the bangers that were name dropped. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to relive my tween years or thankful I was far away from that time in my life. This book explores the trials of teenage friendship and crushes and the power of those things as well. Definitely recommend.

Twelve year old Stevie is not the most confident young person in her daily life, but she steps out of her shell when she is performing onstage. It is August 1985, and Stevie is on a cross-country road trip with several other teens to perform as Synchronicity in cities all across the eastern United States. Luckily, Stevie’s best friend Wes, her brother Brandon, and her crush Joey are all on the trip too, which makes it even more memorable. Along the way, Stevie sends letters to Casey Kasem, asking him to make a long distance dedication to Joey. But as the journey continues, Stevie begins to blossom, and she discovers that she might not need Casey to broadcast her feelings, after all.

This middle grade story transports readers back to the 1980s through pop culture references, recognizable slang, and teen interactions that reflect the time in which this story is set. Though the intended audience is one that did not live through this time period themselves, their parents may have, so the novel helps connect the two generations through a relatable coming-of-age story. Short chapters, frequent dialogue, and accessible text help propel the narrative, making the book one that is accessible to a range of middle grade readers.

While there are enjoyable components of the novel, the plot itself is not tremendously clear until well into the book. This can dissuade some readers from continuing because of its initial lack of direction. Similarly, the characters themselves are not as endearing as they could be, and their challenges are minimal in the grand scheme of life. Despite these shortcomings, however, the book will connect with readers who have ties to the 1980s or to stage performances in general. It is a decent addition to library collections for middle grade readers.

I don't know which age group to recommend this title to because as an adult who remembers and lived in the eighties, I adored this book and know that the middle grade that it's intended for will too.

Stevie is finally old enough to go on tour with her town's performing group which includes her older brother, best friend, crush, and a host of other teens. With an SUV, a truck, a Winnebago, and other assorted vehicles a few adult chaperones head off with twenty-six teenagers to perform their lip sync act all over the country. It was a simpler time with pay phones instead of cell phones, which may be difficult for the readers to grasp. Instead of playlists they had mixtapes and sent their dedications to Casey Kasem on the radio and prayed that he would play them, just like Stevie does to try and get the attention of her crush on tour.

This charming book teaches so many lessons over a summer, like how to make friends, how to trust new people, how to stand up for yourself, how to handle your first heartbreak, and how to be a good friend.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title in advance.