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Summary
Summary
A drummer, a fanfic writer, and an amateur taxidermist walk into a convention center, and the weekend that unfolds will change all of their lives.Drummer Phoebe Byrd prides herself on being one of the guys, and she's ready to prove it by kicking all their butts in the snare solo competition at the Indoor Percussion Association Convention. Writer Vanessa Montoya-O'Callaghan has been looking forward to the WTFcon for months. Not just because of the panels and fanfiction readings but because WTFcon is where she'll finally meet Soleil, her internet girlfriend, for the first time. Taxidermy assistant Callie Buchannan might be good at scooping brains out of deer skulls, but that doesn't mean it's her passion. Since her parents' divorce, her taxidermist father only cares about his work, and assisting him at the World Taxidermy and Fish-Carving Championships is the only way Callie knows to connect with him. When a crazy mix-up in the hotel lobby brings the three girls together, they form an unlikely friendship against a chaotic background of cosplay, competition, and carcasses!
Author Notes
Alison Cherry graduated from Harvard University. She is a professional photographer and worked as a lighting designer for theater, dance, and opera productions for many years. She is also an author. Her books include Red, For Real, The Classy Crooks Club, and Look Both Ways.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Callie, Vanessa, and Phoebe are staying at the same hotel but attending three different conventions. Callie is hoping to have quality time with her father at the World Taxidermy Championships as his assistant, but when she discovers a big secret he's been hiding, their relationship is in jeopardy. Vanessa is geeking out at the We Treasure Fandom convention (WTFcon), where she will meet her online girlfriend and fanfiction coauthor Soleil in person for the first time. Phoebe is hoping to beat the competition at the Indoor Percussion Association convention, but keeps getting distracted by her cute band mate Scott and former best friend Christina. When the three teenagers serendipitously meet because of a mix-up in the hotel lobby, they form a fast and strong friendship. This is a charming collaboration and a fun and quick read that will appeal to any reader who has ever loved something so much it hurts. While at times the characters' voices are hard to tell apart, the fast-moving and engaging plot will keep teens turning pages. The book contains well-done LGBTQIA protagonists, light romance, and strong female friendships. -VERDICT An adorkable story about teenage girls navigating love, friendship, and family, this is a solid addition to any young adult collection.-Ariel Birdoff, New York Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this entertaining and sometimes slapstick testament to the power of friendship, three teenage girls-each attending a different convention held in the same location-help each other overcome their respective conflicts. Vanessa Montoya-O'Callaghan is eager to finally meet her online girlfriend and fanfic co-writer at WTFcon. Phoebe Byrd can't wait to rock out at the Indoor Percussion Association. And Callie Buchannan hopes to get some quality time with her workaholic father by helping out as his assistant at the World Taxidermy Championships. Naturally, everything goes wrong: Vanessa's girlfriend is increasingly awful in person, Phoebe falls for one of her bandmates, and Callie chafes at her father's demands. Working seamlessly in alternating POV chapters, Cherry, Ribar, and Schusterman deliver a laugh-out-loud romp that finds humor and drama in three very different fields of interest. As the story lines converge, readers will delight in seeing these passionate girls recognize that it's okay to want things and to screw up, and that sometimes you make unexpected friends in the process. Ages 12-up. Agent: (for Cherry) Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary; (for Ribar) Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates; (for Schusterman) Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Vanessa, Phoebe, and Callie--attendees of vastly different conventions (fandom, percussion, and taxidermy, respectively)--meet at a convention center and form a friendship better than many of their existing relationships with their con-companions. Well-drawn characters enhance the humor of this multiple-perspectives tale, which is light but progressive; Vanessa's blossoming romance with genderqueer Merry is a particularly heartwarming subplot. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A fanfic writer, a taxidermist, and a percussionist attending three different conferences at the same convention center befriend and help one another. Callie Buchannan is in Orlando to assist her father at their first World Taxidermy Championships without her mother, who left the family and moved across the country to "start over." She wishes her intense, perfectionist dad would treat her less like an unpaid intern and more like a daughter. Phoebe Byrd's at the same conference center to compete with her high school band ensemble in the annual Indoor Percussion Association Convention. After a disastrous luggage mix-up forces Phoebe to play the xylophone with taxidermy scalpels, she injures her hands, has a disappointing competition, and hooks up with her smirky-but-sweet band mate. And Vanessa "Nessie" Montoya-O'Callaghan is at her first We Treasure Fandom con to finally meet her co-writer and internet girlfriend, Soleil, face to face. But older, polyamorous, pansexual Soleil seems more interested in meeting attentive fans than being alone with Nessie. After slightly formulaic meet-cutes, Callie, Phoebe (who are both white), and Vanessa (who's half Mexican, half Irish) become instant friends and swap stories. Not only does this three-author, three-protagonist contemporary easily pass the Bechdel test, but it also explores fascinating subcultures and highlights how young people with diverse identities, backgrounds, and interests can bond in an authentic manner.Charming and realistic look at the fast but meaningful friendships formed at cons. (Fiction. 12-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Madness descends upon an Orlando convention center as three separate (and wildly divergent) conventions converge on the same weekend. Callie accompanies her workaholic father to the World Taxidermy Championships. Phoebe arrives with her school's percussion ensemble, hoping to impress bigwigs at the Indoor Percussion Association. And Vanessa is excited to be rooming with her cowriter and internet girlfriend, Soleil, at fanfic-oriented WTFCon. Unfortunately for everyone, the opening day sees them sinking into their own problems: Callie's strained relationship with her father, Phoebe's judgmental attitude, and Vanessa's immense self-doubt. It's only after circumstance puts them together that they find ways to rise above their personal challenges. Split into three separate POVs written by three different authors (Cherry, Lindsay, Ribar, and Michelle Shusterman), this book grabs readers from the very beginning with quirkiness and humor. The story lines entwine with one another in bizarre, absurd ways that are sometimes hilarious and periodically poignant. Readers looking for zany fun will be thoroughly satisfied, as will those who like stories about the power of friendship and the importance of inner strength.--Suarez, Reinhardt Copyright 2018 Booklist
