Kill the Boy Band, written by Goldy Moldvasky, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Kill the Boy Band is by turns uproariously funny and tragically pathetic. The unnamed (almost certainly unreliable) narrator unravels the true story of the time she and three of her friends kidnapped the least popular member of The Ruperts. The Ruperts are the most popular boy band in the world. Ironically or tragically depending on your perspective, the band is comprised solely of chaps named Rupert. The four fangirl friends will do anything to meet their favorite band. All the girls really wanted were tickets to The Ruperts sold out show. Apple scores a room in the hotel where the band is staying. Isabel seems to have an inside track on the band's every move. Erin is plotting something and even her best friend, the unnamed narrator cannot figure out what. Apple kidnaps Rupert P. and drags him back into their room. She unwittingly sets in motion events that quickly spiral out of control Kill the Boy Band is an ode to the extreme behavior of super fans who will stop at nothing to get close to their idols. Moldavsky expertly pokes fun at the carefully crafted images of celebrities and celebrity culture offered up for public consumption. The girls are broken into subgroups based on the band member they love best. Rupert X is the pretty boy/rebel. Rupert L is the dumb one. Rupert K is the good-looking looking and too good to be true one. Rupert P. is the one that cannot sing. Apple loves Rupert P. Isabel loves Rupert L. Erin loves Rupert X and the narrator is smitten with Rupert K. She refers to him as a “life ruiner.”

Straight Talk for Librarians: Kill the Boy Band is irreverent and funny and amazing. The writing is clever and littered with references to 80's pop culture movies. The unnamed narrator gives various names throughout the book, none of which is her own. At one point, she says her name is Sloane Peterson (the lead female character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). The references will probably not register with teen readers. However, curious teens might question their parents or Google to understand the connections. Due to the nature of some of the scenes in the book, I cannot recommend it for younger teen readers. There are references to drinking, taking drugs and teenage sex. Readers with an interest in music will enjoy this novel. I highly recommend it for current and recovering fangirls and fanboys.