Jazz Davies Skips a Beat

Jazz's life recently has been...a lot. After her mom left her dad for her yoga instructor (what a cliché), Jazz and her dad had to create a new normal. So when Jazz saw a chance to be one of her school's It Girls, she went all in, leaving her best friend Lo behind.

But being a popular girl doesn't feel like she'd hoped. Even though it's fun to be admired, she isn't sure the It Girls actually care about her. They're always pressuring her to look and act a certain way-and worse, they want her to start dating, even though there aren't any boys she likes that way.

When Jazz is unexpectedly paired up with music geek Ren in history class, Jazz gets this feeling...like butterflies. But Ren's a girl. Jazz is totally fine with other people being gay and queer, but she never thought she was. And what would happen if the It Girls found out? Confused by her feelings and not sure who to talk to, Jazz finds herself missing her old friend Lo and wondering if she'll ever feel like she can talk to her mom again. Mixed up in a sea of emotions and expectations, Jazz needs to figure out who she wants to be and whether or not being popular is worth it after all.
Key Selling Points

• Jazz has finally made it into the popular crowd, but her life isn't any easier. As she grapples with her mom's leaving, missing her old best friend and having a crush on a girl in her class, Jazz has to figure out who she really wants to be.

• This stand-alone novel is a follow-up to Lo Simpson Starts a Revolution where readers get to see Jazz's side of the story. It explores how it feels for Jazz to achieve popularity and shows the peer pressure tween girls can face around being accepted.

• Includes a sweet storyline where Jazz gets a crush on her classmate Ren, and comes to realize that she's bisexual, all with the ultimate message of self-acceptance and coming out in one's own time.

• Jazz's love of K-pop and K-dramas is very topical, and fellow fans of K-culture will enjoy her name-drops of bands and shows (including Blackpink, Ateez and Bloodhounds).

• Deals with the aftermath of a parent leaving as Jazz tries to figure out what her family will be now and how she can find forgiveness (and compassion) for her mom.

• Features playlists at the back of the book with Jazz's K-pop picks and Ren's favorite '90s grunge.

• Melanie Florence is the award-winning author of numerous books for young people, including Missing Nimâmâ and Kaiah's Garden.

In this middle-grade novel and follow-up to Lo Simpson Starts a Revolution, Jazz is trying to process why her mom left, what exactly she's feeling for a girl in her class and whether she wants to be one of the popular girls after all.
Melanie Florence is a writer of Cree and Scottish heritage and has been writing full-time since 2010. She is the author of Missing Nimâmâ, which won the 2016 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Stolen Words, which won the 2018 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and the bestselling Orca Soundings titles He Who Dreams and Dreaming in Color. She lives in Toronto with her family. A funny and heartfelt series with a focus on friendship, learning to be yourself and speaking up for what you believe in. Jazz made it into the popular crowd...now what?
"A solid read that tackles the challenges of a tween realizing she's bisexual, the pressures of growing up too fast, and discovering who your real friends are."