grumpy
Jill Alexander scored with THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY, a finalist for the 2010 Walden Award. Now she gives readers a glimpse of PARADISE (Feiwel and Friends, July 2011), the story of a teen who has to hide her ambitions to become a professional drummer from her mother. Paisley practices with her band in her uncle's airplane hangar. Making her way to auditions and other meetings means telling lots of lies. Surely this will all catch up with her. Alexander knows her east Texas roots well. However, there is nothing here that would limit the audience for PARADISE. Paisley's love of music, the conflicts among the band members (reminiscent a bit of FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB), and her conflicted feelings about the new lead singer for the band, Paradise, are all universals that will atrtract readers who are looking for romance, music, growing up, dealing with parents, and so much more. <200>