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Worldwide Crush

Rory Calhoun is a teen popstar with perfect teeth and messy hair who’s inspiring first crushes all over the globe. Millie Jackson is just one of the millions of fans who love him—but that doesn’t mean her heart doesn’t break for him every single day in this laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story.

How many of Rory’s fans collect “data” about him in a special notebook hidden in their underwear drawer? Or have faked a fascination with whale migration for a chance to visit his hometown? Millie may not be Rory’s only fan at Susan B. Anthony Middle School, but she’s convinced she’s the biggest—and the best.

Rory’s new song “Worldwide Crush” is climbing the charts, and his lyrics are clear: he’s looking for love—and he’s looking in the audience. Meaning Millie’s secret fantasies of running in the surf and eating waffles with him may not be crazy after all . . . she could be that girl! But first she has to get to his concert—his completely sold-out concert in a city nowhere near her home for which she does not have tickets or a ride. She just has to figure out how.

Pub Date: July 11, 2023

Author: Kristin Nilsen

BOOKSHOP
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
IBOOKS
INDIEBOUND

Categories: ,

Description

“A delightful, nostalgic tribute to innocent fandom.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“This is a sweet depiction of teenage fandom. . . . less a book about getting to a show than it is a story of a teenager coming to realize how much she is loved, even when her behavior seems selfish.”
—Foreword Reviews, 5 stars

“Brimming with hope, humor, and possibility, best friends and annoying hangers-on, ridiculous teachers and more ridiculous family members, indignities, sorrows, despair, and triumph, Nilsen builds a story that feels so real, I could almost feel the flutter of butterflies doing backflips in my own stomach. A sharply-drawn and big-hearted story. I loved every single page.”
—Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon

“With Worldwide Crush, Kristin Nilsen establishes herself as a vibrant new voice in coming-of-age fiction. This funny, big-hearted novel explores family, friendship, and the intoxicating power of first crushes with sometimes cringeworthy accuracy. Readers still in the throes of tweendom will be as charmed by Millie’s emotional journey as those who attended middle school long ago. A winning pick for all generations!”
—Megan McCafferty, New York Times best-selling author of Best Frenemies Forever and the Jessica Darling series

“Kristin Nilsen nails the angst of falling for a teen heartthrob in Worldwide Crush. The countless laugh-out-loud moments were reminiscent of my own crush on Shaun Cassidy. Tween readers will love this debut. Highly recommend!”
—Cindy Callaghan, author of My Big Heart-Shaped Fail

“Bursting with humor and feverish popstar fandom, Worldwide Crush is a joyous and heart-warming read that chronicles the big emotions of a middle school girl as she navigates her foray into teenagehood, diehard crushes, and a discovery of her sense of worth and self. A delightfully relatable, unapologetically authentic story, complete with laughs and nostalgia, that will resonate with middle school girls everywhere!”
—Payal Doshi, author of Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

About the Author

Kristin Nilsen has been a children’s librarian, a bookseller, a perfume seller, a horse poop shoveler, a typist (on an actual typewriter), a storyteller, a seventh grader, and a mom to both humans and dogs. Today she is a self-proclaimed Pro Crushologist who talks about Gen X pop culture on The Pop Culture Preservation Society podcast. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of the only big cities in the world where you can look out your window and see a lake. Which she likes. A lot.

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