Secrets of a Fangirl by Erin Dionne, 2019

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Sarah Anne loves lacrosse, and the MK Nightshade series that everyone was obsessed over in grade school. The problem is that she's still obsessed, which is way too nerdy for a popular kid like her. So she hides her geekiness with a set of rules meant to keep her geek and jock selves separate.

Except when she's offered a spot in a Nightshade fandom contest, where the winner gets to see the new movie premiere in LA. No one seems to think Sarah Anne can win, since she's up against a pair of guys in high school--but the more she's called a fake fan, the more determined she is to wipe the floor with her competition. As long as none of her friends or anyone at school knows what she's doing.

Can she keep her geek identity a secret, win the contest, and manage to keep her friends even though she's been living a lie? Sarah Anne is going to have to make some choices about what's truly important to her and which rules she's going to break to stay true to herself.

(272 pages)

I have been a fan of Dionne's books for a very long time, ever since The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet became my favorite book in middle school (I have reviewed both that, here, and another of her books, Lights, Camera, Disaster, on this blog). That's why I was so happy to receive a surprise copy of Secrets of a Fangirl.

I have to say that, at a certain level, I really do feel like this book is not for me. I am much older than I was when I fell in love with Dionne's books, and sometimes I just can't help rolling my eyes at the stupid predicaments that her main characters get into because they care so much about prestige in middle school. This is especially true in this book, because even when I was Sarah Anne's age I totally owned my love for geeky topics like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc. I prided myself on being able to beat everyone at Harry Potter Scene-It every time. And let's be honest, my geekiness hasn't exactly mellowed with time. Thus the book blog.

I do think it's very interesting to see how Sarah Anne struggles as a girl in the nerd world, though, because while I have not faced much condescension in the geek (or tech) world so far, I do know that a strong majority of guys in a room can make you acutely aware of your gender. Honestly, from my own experience, I would have thought that the runners of the contest would have tried to make a big deal of her gender to show off how inclusive they were being. I can definitely relate to her experience of being talked over on the panel, though. Guys have a tendency to be pushy talkers - especially when they are trying to show themselves off - and I know I have definitely had trouble with that in interview workshops, etc. It would be even harder to be Sarah Anne's age and be dealing with that in a high-pressure situation.

On the whole, even though I thought her friends situation was ridiculous and her self-imposed set of rules surpressing her fangirl side were painiful, I did still really enjoy reading this book and I actually found a fair bit of myself in Sarah Anne. I think a lot of other kids, especially those closer to the target age, will love it even more than I did. A quick content warning for parents, one side character does have two moms which is mentioned a couple times in passing. Other than that it's a pretty unobjectionable read, and one that some will really enjoy. Go ahead and pick it up if it sounds interesting!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Lights, Camera, Disaster by Erin Dionne, 2018

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Hester Greene loves making movies. With her camera in hand, she can focus, make decisions, and have the control she lacks in life, where her executive function disorder (think extreme ADHD plus anxiety) sabotages her every move.
But middle school is not a movie, and if her last-ditch attempt to save her language-arts grade--and her chance to pass eighth grade, period--doesn't work, Hess could lose her friends, her year, even her camera. It will take more than a cool training montage to get her life together, but by thinking outside the frame, she just might craft a whole new ending.
Written partially in script form, with STOP/PAUSE/PLAY/REWIND moments throughout, this laugh-out-loud story will speak to any budding filmmaker, or unintentional troublemaker, in every act of their lives.

(272 pages)

A long time ago, I bought a copy of Dionne's The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet and absolutely fell in love with it. Something about the combination of Shakespeare, classroom issues, and sibling dynamics was just perfect for me. I went back and read it more recently and found that much of that magic has been lost to time for me, but I still wanted to read this new book by Dionne.

And I did enjoy it. Though not as much as Hamlet. The framing of the story in filmmaking terms (with chapter titles like "Saturday" and "Moments Later," and descriptions like "FAST FORWARD" and "RESUME PLAY" to zoom past boring events by summarizing them, was a great touch. I've never personally been even slightly interested in filmmaking, but it was still cool to see Hess's passion for it and how she basically thought in film for much of the time.

Many kids might find themselves in Hess, as she skates dangerously close to failing a class and having to repeat a grade, but as a type-A personality myself I struggled to relate to her (or, really, not to be annoyed with her at times). I realize that her executive function disorder makes it hard for her to focus, but she has basically completely given up on even trying at this point. She spends all her free time goofing off. And, frankly, if her disorder is bad enough that she can't make herself work, then her parents should have gotten involved way sooner than they do. My parents homeschooled me throughout elementary and high school, so I find it pretty lame that Hess's parents didn't even bother to keep tabs on her homework, or try out alternative ways to study, until things got truly desperate.

It was a good read, though, and I'm glad I had the chance. I don't think I ever would have enjoyed this book quite as much as Hamlet, even if I'd read it in that sweet spot when I was desperate for more Dionne books, but I likely would have still enjoyed it.

What authors did you read as a child? Have you ever gone back and read a new book by them, and how did it go?

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.