What a fun read, and not just for adults who grew up in the 60’s. Encompassing universal themes of friendships lost and found, feeling left out and misunderstood, and finding your way make this a perfect middle school novel. It’s 1966, and Trudy Mixer, along with her dad and most of the country, loves the Beatles. If you’ve ever loved a boy band, you’ll be right there with Trudy as she plots and plans her way to see the Beatles live in concert and to meet her idol, Paul McCartney. Along the way, she loses one best friend, feels ignored by her busy dad, and struggles to accept that the remaining members of her Beatles Fan Club are now her friends. Can I just say, besides enjoying the entire ride, and being reminded of many great Beatles hits, I LOVED the ending! Don’t miss this one!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute YA novel set in the 1960s.

On the one hand this book is filled with very familiar middle grade tropes - 2 best friends and one suddenly finds herself on the outs while the other becomes popular, cliques, bullying. But this has the unique perspective of being set in 1966 during the Vietnam War and Beatlemania.

Trudy is the president of her school's Beatle's fan club. But seemingly overnight she goes from being moderately popular to a pariah - due in part to her name (Gertrude), the abandonment of other members of the club (particularly her former best friend Michelle), and junior high issues in general. Even her father has become too busy for their shared love of the Beatles. When Trudy learns that the Beatles are coming to Boston she is so excited, especially when her father buys tickets. But plans go awry when her father has to go on business, her mom breaks her leg, and her former best friend isn't even interested. Trudy and the other remaining 3 members decide to go to the concert together, alone, and plot to meet Paul McCartney in person - each hoping that he will help solve some of their issues and fears.

The Beatles tie in is what saved the book from being typical fare and was an interesting, if unrealistic aspect of the book. Will readers appreciate the 60s nostalgia?

Trudy (NOT GERTRUDE!) is the president of the once-popular Beatles Fan Club, but her social status takes a plunge after April vacation when she loses her best friend to cheerleading and the club dwindles to four members. As an ardent fan, she is determined to regain her social status, as well as her father's attention, by meeting Paul McCartney. She is lucky enough to have four tickets to the Beatles concert in Boston, but her father's business trip means she has no one to go with and no transportation. However, she persists accompanied by the other Club members, and sets off to the concert in spite of the fact that she has never before ventured to Boston by bus and subway. With some detours and obstacles along the way, Trudy learns about friendship and perseverance. Although the ending is perhaps unbelievable, it is highly satisfying and touching. Ann Hood is obviously in touch with her twelve year old self and recollections of the 60's, and offers readers an engaging glimpse into her younger world.

Trudy returns to school in the fall of 1966 to find she has lost her best friend to cheerleaders and her beloved Beatles fan club is now passe. To make matters worse, the remaining members of the club seem to be people she wouldn't normally like. But as the year continues to go downhill, she learns more about these new friends and herself. Yes, sounds like a basic coming of age novel and yes, it has those elements. But what makes this one special is the added delight of the Beatles. They are coming to nearby Boston and Trudy is determined to get there and meet Paul McCartney. What transpires is truly lovely and made me fall in love with George Harrison all over again. I suppose if you are not of the Beatles generation it might not read quite so beautifully. But it genuinely could be a made up band - it's the story of the friendships, the growing up, and yes, a bit of our history included. I really enjoyed reading this one and will recommend it not only to teens, but to adults who grew up in the era of Vietnam, Ed Sullivan, and of course, the Beatles.

Take a step back in time to the real Beatlemania. Last year Trudy Mixer was the president of the most popular club in school: the Beatles Fan Club. This year her best friend decided to be a cheerleader. Club membership is down to the oddballs. Home is no better. Her dad is distant. Seeing the Beatles live in concert will help her get back with her dad and reestablish herself at school. Dad buys four tickets, then finds out he has to go on a work trip. Mom hates driving far. How can Trudy get to the concert? Who will go with her?
Filled with references to popular Beatles songs and rich with period references, this book is a wonderful coming of age story for Beatles fans as well as fans of historical fiction. I'm definitely getting this book for my middle school library.

Such a great read! The Fab Four are coming to Boston and Trudy Mixer, president of her school fan club in Rhode Island, is determined to meet Paul McCartney. Her dad shares her passion for the Beatles and scores four tickets when they go on sale. But then things start going wrong and as the dominoes fall -- one by one -- Trudy concocts a very adventurous plan. Love the many cultural clues that are in the book and they would make great touchstones for discussing this era with middle grade students as well as the hints of things to come that we take for granted fifty years later.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Penguin and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Clever historical fiction about life when the Beatles were at the height of their popularity. Trudy is desperate to reclaim her own popularity as president of her Beatles fan club and win back her best friend, who has dumped her for the Future cheerleaders club. Trudy is so concerned with herself that she does and says thoughtless things to kids who would like to be her friend...or more. She does change somewhat by the end of the story, but her constant missteps can be difficult to read! The historical setting redeemed the story for me.

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this middle grade historical fiction novel from NetGalley in exchange for a review. I absolutely loved this book. Because the story takes place in the summer of 1966, readers are able to enjoy the middle school friendship drama surrounding the ups and downs of the upcoming Beatles concert without the characters being glued to their phones and texting each other right and left.
Trudy Mixer has been an avid Beatles fan ever since their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan show in 1964. From that day forward, she has been the president of her school’s Beatles fan club. It was a popular club in the beginning, but two years later the club’s membership is dwindling. But the Beatles are going to be performing in concert during the summer, and if Trudy can get the chance to meet Paul McCartney, she’s sure she can wind up on top again.
Even though the events of this story take place long before today’s tweens were born (in fact this is stuff from their grandparents’ era), the adolescent characterizations and drama is fresh. Best friends growing apart, blooming love interests, family and school stress are ingredients that keep readers engaged. The story has a good message – everyone is going through their own trials and tribulations and good friends will help see each other through their problems.
Fans of the Beatles and period stories from the sixties will definitely appreciate the cultural references of this novel. Just for fun, I made a Spotify playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book just so I could enjoy listening to the great music in the same way the characters in the story did. This is a terrific middle grade book, appropriate for kids in grades five and up.

This was an absolutely adorable story about growing up, finding your true friends, and finding your footing as you navigate the early teen years. It was a quick read, but definitely a super fun one.

Although it takes place in the mid-1960’s, as someone who went through these issues decades later, it was still an enjoyable read. I don’t think it would be hard to today’s preteens to relate either. While there are some references that definitely are outdated today, the struggles and fears of the characters are timeless (family struggles, parental abandonment, wanting to be seen, etc)

If this book had existed when I was a sixth grader (in 1997) I would have been enamored with it. Like the main character, I had an all-encompassing, “must know every detail of his life” crush on Paul McCartney. My biggest dream was that I could go back to the 60’s and experience Beatlemania in its heyday. These characters were able to live out my childhood (and honestly, still my adulthood) dream.

While the story was very simple, and the ending quite abrupt, it was extremely well written and would be engaging for the intended middle grade audience. I have a few Beatle fan friends who I will absolutely be recommending this book to for their middle school aged children (and a fun nostalgic read for themselves)

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really 3.5 stars. A fun tale of Trudy, totally swept up in Beatlemania and the muddied currents of adolescence. Two thumbs up for the message about listening to find out why your peers are acting the way they are. And, great portrayal of middle school interactions and the rapidity with which trends and popularity rise and fall. I was just a few years younger than Trudy is portrayed in 1966, so it was a nostalgia trip. I really wonder how the content will play with today’s teens, although the teen cliques and obsessions and difficulties ring true.

In Ann Hood's book "She Loves You, (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)", we are transported to Rhode Island in the mid-1960s, soon after the Beatles first performed on the Ed McMahon show. Trudy became one of the most popular girls in the sixth grade at Robert E. Quinn Junior High when she started the Beatles Fan Club with her best friend, Michelle. We join them the first day of seventh grade when Trudy is ignored by Michelle, the Fan Club's members have dwindled to 3, the entire seventh grade learns her real name is "Ger-Trude", and her Dad gets a promotion and is so preoccupied he rarely has time for her. The news hits that the Beatles are performing in Boston in August and Trudy cooks up an idea to meet Paul McCartney and get her life back to the way it was. Ann Hood did a fantastic job of describing the agonies of Middle School and the joys of good friendship, as well as the ache of losing said relationships. She also puts you right into the sixties with all the changes in music and in the world. I am a Beatles fan myself and loved reading about Trudy's obsession with them as well as her scheme to get the club to the concert. This was a great book for middle-schoolers to young adults as well as anyone who has felt left out and overwhelmed by growing up and the turns their lives take.

In this book for middle graders, She Loves You Yeah, Yeah, Yeah by Ann Hood, Trudy Mixer is a junior high student who is growing up in the early 1960’s. Trudy is a huge Beatles fan and starts a fan club at her school. The author gives little tidbits of information about important happenings during that time like President Kennedy’s assassination and the Vietnam War. Trudy decides to go to a Beatles concert and hopes to meet Paul McCartney. Being a retired elementary librarian, I appreciate the author wanting to tell about that time in America, however, I really can’t imagine this book appealing to a large audience of middle grade students. It is witty and charming and of course I enjoyed it because I am about the same age as Trudy Mixer!

She Love you (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood is being published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review

I enjoyed She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah). It was like stepping back into the mid 1960s. Ann Hood nailed the hysteria surrounding the Beatles Invasion. She also got the whole social scene from that time period just right. I liked the way each chapter was titled by lyrics from a Beatles song. But mostly I liked the coming of age aspects. Trudy is figuring out who and what is important to her, and the emotions she experiences in this book are spot on. My one hesitation/concern is whether or not She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) will appeal to today's middle school student. Will they know enough about the Beatles to really get this book?

I enjoyed this book set in the 60's during Beetlemania. I do feel middle school students may not get all the references from life in the 60's, but this could provide a way to share the book with parents or other adults I believe the theme would resonate with middle school students struggling to fit in. I would love to have a copy to add to my classroom shelves.

I loved this story! Set in the 60's, right when anti-Vietnam movement and bra-burning were becoming part of the news, the Fab Four came and stole a LOT of young girl's hearts. This story is about a teen finding out her life isn't as bad as others, who her friends are and that change is not necessarily a bad thing, that change is inevitable and can bring positive to her life. A great read, and if you like the early Beatles (as I do), you will enjoy this!

It may have taken me until the end of the story to realize that I like it, but that is when each of Trudy’s quirky friends (and fan club members) came into their own. Throughout the story Trudy didn’t want these friends, She felt stuck with them after her best friend joined the cheerleading club. And Trudy’s most important goal was to meet the Beatles- no matter what. I truly enjoyed how Trudy’s concert experience made the entire story worth reading.

This is a quick read for adults, especially for those of us who remember watching "The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show." For middle school teachers, this could be a fun book to use in the classroom because 1) you get to expose them to The Beatles music; 2) learn about Vietnam War/President Johnson/Lady Bird; 3) discuss friendships/families/feeling left out/ working towards goals; 5) learn how to read bus and subway schedules, and 6) feminism and hippies. Fun book!

Heartwarming story with just enough Beatlemania to make it interesting, not annoying. I can’t stand when a book set in a particular time period shoves the references down your throat. This book had enough to set the story and keep in your head what was going on in history, I also felt like the friendships built and lost were reliasitc and well done for a middle grade novel. Finally, the father situation is sad. I wanted to see that resolved, but, at the same time, I appreciated where this book ended. I could live with it. Overall, an enjoyable read. It would appeal to young kids and maybe give them a taste for a different time they don’t know about while I enjoyed it as an adult and appreciated the themes in it.