• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Kallie Echo is starting to think dreams are dangerous. Her dad had one—to be a rock star—and then he died. Now Kallie is practically homeless and her life is falling apart. So when a punk band asks Kallie to sing for them, she surprises everyone, including herself, with her powerful voice. She's also surprised to learn that Jamie, her best friend and the drummer of the band, is transitioning. More surprising is his confession that he is madly in love with Kallie.
The band goes on tour, and everything hinges on Kallie. It's a lot of pressure—especially when you throw in substance abuse and Kallie's deadbeat mom showing up at the worst possible time. Kallie must learn to trust her friends, and herself, if she's going to get over the past and carve out a future. But if she dares to dream again, will she lose it all?

Brooke Carter was born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing (UBC) and where she currently makes her home with her family. She is the author of the Orca Soundings titles Another Miserable Love Song and Learning Seventeen and the Orca Sports title Lucky Break. For more information, visit www.brookecarter.com.

Brooke Carter's profile page

"Carter's novel is a quick paced read that packs a lot of action into its 127-pages...The novel is able to knit together weighty themes including transgender issues, dealing with death, finding love and substance abuse. Specifically, Carter's presentation of transgender issues and how someone might experience them in a real life are believable and may help readers understand these realities more deeply...Recommended."

CM Magazine

"A thoroughly modern and realistic love story unencumbered by moralizing or politics…There is depth to this truncated story and the author's edgy delivery saves it from shallow breathiness. The title is a characteristic touch of the book's unadorned view of life balanced by a faith in abiding goodness, regardless of context. The story of the transitioning Jamie and [his] involvement with Kallie has a ring of genuine truth about it."

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