Turn It Up: Practice Makes Perfect by Jen Calonita - ADVISABLE

Calonita, Jen Turn It Up: Practice Makes Pitch Perfect , 272 pages. Point (Scholastic), 2018. $18. Content: Language: PG (2 swears); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: G. 

High school sophomores, Sydney and Lidia are co-captains of the Nightingales, an a capella group at Bradley Academy.  They are best friends and have been looking forward to getting the Nightingales out of their past slump and building a successful group.  Right before the season starts, Lidia sees Sydney kissing her long time crush, Griffin.  Lidia feels like she can’t trust Sydney anymore and thinks she is going to pursue her dance dreams instead of singing.  Sydney doesn’t know how to apologize to Lidia and she doesn’t know if she can get the Nightingales to succeed without the help of her best friend.  

This is a clean teen drama with the themes of friendship, boy trouble and following your dreams.  Although it’s a bit predictable and Lidia’s poor-me whining graded on my nerves, the plot line moved along and the characters were likable.  If you have seen the movie Pitch Perfect, there are a lot of similarities, but this is the clean version.  Although the characters are sophomores in high school this book feels younger than that.  

MS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.