She's Got the Beat »

Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 150 books for children and young adults, including the New York Times best-seller Leonardo DiCaprio: A Biography. Her long list of biographies includes books about Hilary Duff, Raven, *NSync's J.C. Chasez, and the late TLC rapper Lisa Lopes. Nancy has appeared as a guest expert on several celeb-focused TV shows including Access Hollywood, Extra, and E! Love Chain. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, and their two children.

Miranda was the quiet type...until she moved to Austin. Home of the hippest college rock bands, Austin, Texas, is a scene. And Miranda is dying to break out of her small-town shell. So she decides to do something totally un-Miranda: learn to play the drums.

When crashing the cymbals, the girl's a wild child! Plus there's a perk to her new gig: a cute bass player. Unfortunately Mr. Bass Man isn't exactly looking for love. Can this rocker chick change his tune? Or does finding her own rhythm mean sacrificing true love?

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-A recent graduate of a small-town Texas high school, Miranda has her eyes set on college in Austin. When Denny, her immature boyfriend, proposes marriage, she surprises him by opting to follow her plan. She rooms off campus with two unconventional older students and, as a lark, answers an ad to take drum lessons from Paul, a handsome college dropout and low-key womanizer. As Miranda builds her confidence and skill at playing the drums, she develops a crush on him before she realizes his inability to make commitments. When she auditions successfully to fill in for the regular drummer in an all-male band, Adam, the bassist, is the only member of the group to befriend her, and they gradually fall in love. Miranda has challenges along the way, including the return of the original drummer and Adam's jealousy when Denny shows up and tries to win her back. The narrative is fast paced, the characters are vividly etched, and the descriptions of the music scene are believable. A romance with a beat and a bounce, this is a cut above the average.-Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.