Twelve-year-old Trudy Mixer used to be the president of the most popular club at school, The Beatles Fan Club. Suddenly, she loses her best friend, Michelle, to the cool kids and everything starts to unravel. Her classmates start calling her by her real name (cringe), Gertrude. Then to top if off, The Beatles Fan Club has dwindled down to the nerdiest kids in Trudy's class. She is struggling to hold it together, but her world is falling apart. That is until The Beatles announce their new tour. Trudy will let nothing stand in her way now!
Children that are having trouble navigating socially and emotionally in junior high will relate to She Loves You. As a Beatles fan, I greatly enjoyed reading it, imagining myself as Trudy Mixer. Not only do I recommend this book and I recommend that kids have have The Beatles 1 album cued up to play the songs as they come across them in the book. You can never go wrong with The Beatles!

3.5 stars. As a huge Beatles fan, I love reading experiences of what it was like to be in this world with The Beatles. I know from reading interviews as well that this story is based off of Hood's own experience to some extent as well, which lends to credibility. While on some level this story is incredibly ordinary-- that of a young fan of a boy band/rock group, I believe that's part of the charm. This story is relatable even now. Though maybe an audience may shrug and say, "Who? The Beatles?", they could understand Trudy as a fan of a group, as a young woman coming of age and trying to understand the different struggles that come with that. I personally know who The Beatles are, of course, and for one, loved the song titles setting apart each chapter/section. I dug hearing about the trip up to the concert. I adored that the Beatle Trudy met first was actually George and it made so much sense that he was inordinately kind, because that's what I've always heard about him. The pacing in this was a bit slow at times because Trudy was so hyper-focused though. I feel she needed a little more conflict. More than just the Beatles and will I get to go the concert. Her friendship with Michelle and that conflict helped; the awkwardness with Peter also lent to some story building. I don't think either were really utilized as well as they could have been. Overall, I did enjoy this and I am happy Ann shared some of her love for The Beatles with an audience at large. Thank you!

Warning: This book is cute. Yes, the protagonist will get on your nerves but the feeling that will stay with you when you finish this one is one of saccharine satisfaction. Depends on your mood, that may not be a bad thing. I certainly enjoyed it!

I loved this book! I could feel the angst of being in school again and the joy you feel having something to love. I highly recommend to both kids (upper elem - mid grades) and adults wanting to relive their youth.

I loved this book, set in the 1960's! It was the first book I read by this author but I´m definitely curious about her other works after reading this one!

She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah revisits 60s Beatlemania through a story of sixth grader Trudy Mixer, who is a Beatles fanatic and president of her school's fan club. When the once-popular club dwindles to three members and her best friend joins the future cheerleaders, Trudy is determined to remedy things by going to the Beatles concert in Boston and meeting Paul McCartney. Her dreams almost come true when her dad buys four concert tickets, but then he is called away on a business trip. She and the other three club members, awkward Peter, uncool Jessica and unkempt Nora, decide to head to Boston on their own. Riding the train for the first time and attempting to make their way to Suffolk Downs Racetrack where the Beatles play for 25,000 people is fraught with problems, but the teens ultimately are rewarded, learning valuable lessons along the way. Beatles song titles are used as chapter headings that thematically relate to what's happening in the story. Having attended a Beatles concert in 1963 in Indianapolis, Indiana when I was thirteen, I relived the emotions riding on actually seeing my heroes, and the joy at being one of the screaming masses as they sang the songs I knew and loved. This well-written middle school tale not only is a treasure trove of Beatles history, it also explores issues teens of every generation face.

What a great way to introduce middle grades to the culture of the 1960s! Trudy Mixer, president of her school's Beatles Fan Club, has to deal with all the hassles of growing up--fickle friends, insecurities, family, ... But she and a quirky group of peers set out for the road trip of a lifetime and learn much about themselves, and life, along the way. This could be a great multi-generational book--grandparents, parents, and today's kids who can get an up front view of what it was like to live during the time of the Beatles.

This book made me smile from start to finish! As a Beatles can myself I loved this story of Trudy and the Beatles fan club.

Trudy is feeling lost when her best friend finds other friends. Even her Beatles Fan Club is suffering. A club that once had many members now has only four members, including Trudy.

When Trudy's father gets for tickets to the upcoming Beatles concert she is over the moon excited. What will happen next? I bet you're wondering. You have to pick up this book to find out.

I couldn't wait to talk to my husband about this story. It was well written and the ending had me laughing out loud.

“All I had was an invalid mother, three oddball friends, a father who didn’t know I was alive anymore, and a sliver of hope that meeting Paul McCartney could change all that.”

She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood was a delightful coming-of-age novel, that I think adults, as well as Intermediate/Middle School/High School readers, will enjoy—especially if they are interested in the 1960s or The Beatles.

The year is 1966 and the protagonist of the book—twelve-year-old Trudy Mixer — is having a rough year (at least in Middle School terms). Her best friend for years, Michelle, has decided to become a cheerleader. Her beloved father (and fellow Beatles fan) has no time for her anymore due to a promotion at work. A substitute teacher calls her by her real name—Gertrude—and she is teased at school. And her role as President of the Beatles fan club at school has fallen to an all time low. When she started the club two years ago, it had twenty-three members and was enormously popular. Now the club has dwindled down to only three other members--the least popular kids at school.

But, something wonderful happens—the Beatles are due to appear in Boston (50 miles away from her home in Rhode Island), and Trudy’s father snags four tickets to the concert. But when Trudy’s father has to go abroad on a business trip and her mother breaks her leg rendering her unable to drive her to the concert ( her mother is a Frank Sinatra fan away), she is back to square one. Unless—that is—she can manage to to regain her popularity and to prove herself to her father by meeting her beloved Paul McCartney.. Who can she look to to help her pull this off? Why the three misfit members of the Beatles Club (and a cool older girl at school who is unexpectedly friendly to her). So on a hot August day, unknown to their families, Trudy and crew set off on their journey, each of them with soaring hopes for what lies ahead. Will they meet Paul? You will have to read the book to find out!

I enjoyed this book because of the setting as well as the plot and many adults might too—if they remember 1966. The culture is there in the background from the Vietnam War to Yardley of London lipstick. I was eleven that year, and reading the quiet details of this book made that year come flooding back. I like to think I was a little less spoiled and self-centered than Trudy, but I, too, wanted to attend a Beatles concert. Mine would have been in Houston, and I was actually invited to go by a friend who had “cool” parents and two older sisters, but my parents said “No”. I was only in sixth grade, and they were probably worried about what my sixth-grade-eyes would witness going on amongst the attendees, or that I might get trampled by the crowd as Beatlemania was at that height. So I lost my chance. It was the Beatles last world tour. I had to wait several decades until I finally saw Paul McCartney in concert. So, I enjoyed getting to vicariously try to attend a Beatles concert as Trudy.

I also loved how the chapters were named after Beatles songs! Here’s an excerpt from the chapter entitled “Yesterday “ to give you a feel for the book:

“On February 9, 1964—just two and a half years ago—the British Invasion began. That was the night the Beatles appeared for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show. I had tonsillitis. My tonsils were causing me a lot of trouble that winter, and Doctor Cooper was considering taking them out, an idea I did not like at all. Getting your tonsils out meant going into the hospital and staying at least one night. It meant having ether, a sickeningly sweetsmelling drug that put you to sleep. This I knew from Rosemary Martindale, who had her tonsils out in second grade. “They put a mask over your nose and mouth and the ether starts pouring out and they tell you to count backward from one hundred and all you want to do is scream and rip that mask off but you can’t because of the ether,” she explained to the whole class when she came back to school two weeks later. “Then you wake up with the worse sore throat you’ve ever had because they’ve cut out your tonsils.” I ask you: Who would want to do this?

My neighbor Theresa Mazzoni, who went to Catholic school, came over that February afternoon. I was lying on the couch eating grape Popsicles and worrying about ether.

§ § § “Do you know what tonight is?” Theresa asked me. “Sunday?” I croaked, because my throat was too sore for me to talk normally. She rolled her eyes. “Not just any Sunday, Trudy,” she said. “Tonight the Beatles are going to be on The Ed Sullivan Show and your life is going to change forever.” She paused. “Everyone in America’s life is going to change forever,” she added.”

Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it.

I really ended up enjoying this book! There were times that the main character, Trudy, drove me a bit crazy, but I reminded myself that this is a middle grade book. This is a book about those middle school drama years, friendships, and of course the Beatles! The ending was a really sweet.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

It's 1966 and Trudy Mixer is a twelve year old middle grader. There is happening a lot, both in her life and in the world. The Beatles have just skyrocked into stars and Trudy has started an afterschool fan club with her friends. In the real world, the Vietnam war is dominating the news headlines. During the school year, a lot of changes happen in Trudy's life. Her father has got her tickets to see a concert of The Beatles in a few weeks but then the day after, he hears that he has to go on travel to Japan for his work. Well then her mom will go with them, right? Not much, as she breaks her leg, and going to concert is now in jeopardy. Now Trudy will never see her idol Paul McCartney in real life. Both to prove to her school that her fan club is not only for the three people it now exists of, as Trudy's best friend has let her down to join the cheerleader club, and to prove herself to father, who is growing more and more distant after he returns from Japan.So with the other members of the fan club, she sets of on a secret mission travel to Boston, to see the concert of the Beatles and to set everything on everything to meet her beloved Paul McCartney.

This new YA novel is perfect for fans of The Beatles who want a little timetravel back to the sixties. The author does a fantastic job of grasping the atmosphere of the sixties in every detail. From all the details of the beginning of the Beatles, to their other album where they became more psychedelic after some band members had traveled to India, from the outfits and make up that got you '''The London look'' to Trudy's mom who is attending a quite new kind of meeting of feminists, and all the protests and news surrounding the Vietnam war. It all was worked out well, as where the characters and the fun storyline. I loved how everything fell into place in the end,it just was the right conclusion to an already awesowe bew book, that I recommend reading!!

I was really looking forward to reading this book - but was somewhat disappointed. It was slow and I didn't love the main character. I did enjoy how things came together in the end - so that redeemed the book a little for me, but overall, it was not one of my favorites.

This book reads like what I would expect 12-year olds having conversations to sound like! The dialog and smart and funny and oftern touching. The characters go through very realistic situations that may be difficult for teens today to comprehend fully, but which will make for great discussions.
There are many topics for a teacher to discuss with a class: feeling left out, feeling like neither fish nor fowl, fitting in, standing up for yourself, friendship.

I was slightly disappointed by Ann Hood's foray into juvenile fiction. Even for a book for young readers the plot was a bit too unbelievable. Didn't think the conclusion was an accurate portrayal of reality. I did like how the author highlighted the point that you never really know what goes on in a person's home life and people should be more empathetic.

This was a great book for middle schoolers! As a seventh grade teacher, I find if difficult to find period books that touch on music of the time period. I would love to pair this book with our teaching of The Outsiders. For anyone that loves The Beatles, 60s references and a great story, this is the book for you!

This is a nice piece of historical fiction set in 1966 about a girl who is struggling in middle school. Her best friend has found other interests, her Beatles club fame is waning, her dad doesn't seem to notice her anymore. So she hatches a plan to ask Paul Macartney to help her solve all the problems. It has some very nice period details which should be helpful to anyone doing a study of that time period.

It's 1966, and Trudy Mixer's life is in a turmoil. The once highly popular Beatles Fan Club that she started at her junior high is down to 4 members, her former best friend has deserted her to join the Future Cheerleaders, and her father doesn't seem to notice her, except when sharing their mutual love of The Beatles. When a Beatles concert is announced in Boston, Trudy decides the only way to regain her status and control of her life is to get there and meet Paul McCartney.
I enjoyed this book greatly, and not just because it depicts events of my childhood and plays to my intense love of The Beatles. The characters are wonderfully realized, and their concerns and growing pains, while rooted in their time period, are universal. Trudy is a great protagonist, smart while being clueless, resourceful, and ultimately understanding. The ending strains credulity, but also is exactly what the reader wants to happen.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a history teacher and a music fan, I liked this book so much. It really brought me back to the early 60s when the Beatles were at the peak of their popularity. I've had Beatles music running through my head for days now. My only problem is there didn't seem to be a resolution to the Michelle storyline. Maybe it's because of my ARC, but it kind of stopped. We didn't know one way or another how it ended. However, I LOVED the last couple of chapters. I was sitting on a bench in public, grinning like an idiot. Such a feel-good book!

I don’t read a lot of Middle Grade books, as I tend to hit YA mostly. In fact, one of the last ones i tried, I put down because the style and tone just didn’t capture me. I had no such problem with this book.

I think this is the kind of book that anyone could read, of any age. I shoved my Kindle at my mother to read it after I did because she went to see the Beatles in 1964 (not when Trudy did) and I wanted to see if the author had gotten the time period right. Mom said it was right on.

This book has its moments of ‘we’re in the 60s’, but it totally transcends just the setting. It’s about old friendships, new friendships, growing up, learning not to be judgmental, learning that everyone has their own struggles, parents aren’t perfect, and the Beatles are awesome (even if the psychedelic period was surprising). I actually teared up a little at the end and no spoilers, I thought the ending was perfect even though I wanted to see the aftermath just because I’d come to love the characters so well.

Trudy is a flawed heroine, but not unlikeable. I feel for her as her life changes and she deals with her best friend no longer being into the same things she is. Everything she goes to, even if it isn’t exactly what the reader went through, is relatable. And she learns to be kinder, more open, and just a better person.

I LOVE THIS BOOK (YEAH YEAH YEAH). And I wish I had better words to describe what a joy is was to read.

This may be intended for middle-school readers, but anyone who was alive in the 60's is bound to enjoy it at least as much. Charming and poignant.