Best-selling author Ann Hood tells the story of a girl swept up in the heart of 1960s Beatlemania. Written in her signature prose, Hood weaves a tale of four misfit friends who set off to see the Beatles' final world tour, each harboring a secret hope. What emerges is a sincere and funny story of growing up, making unexpected connections, and following your dreams even as the world in front of you--and the world at large--is changing too fast.

The year is 1966. The Vietnam War rages overseas, the Beatles have catapulted into stardom, and twelve-year-old Rhode Island native Trudy Mixer is not thrilled with life. Her best friend, Michelle, has decided to become a cheerleader, everyone at school is now calling her Gertrude (her hated real name), and the gem of her middle school career, the Beatles fan club, has dwindled down to only three other members--the least popular kids at school. And at home, her workaholic father has become even more distant.

Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide: the Beatles. She is set on seeing their final world tour in Boston at the end of the summer--and meeting her beloved Paul McCartney. So on a hot August day, unknown to their families, Trudy and crew set off on their journey, each of them with soaring hopes for what lies ahead.

My Favorite Beatle

There’s no doubt about it, I love The Beatles. I have ever since I was little. My parents grew up in the era of The Beatles and they passed down their love of the music to me. I’d say my top 3 Beatles songs would have to be: Here Comes The Sun, Hey Jude, and Blackbird. Which brings me to who my favorite Beatle is… George Harrison. Most people would automatically say John Lennon or Paul McCartney and while I love them.. George is my favorite. I think he became my favorite after I found out that he wrote Here Comes The Sun. And that song got me through some tough times. I suffered with depression during high school and for some reason Here Comes the Sun helped me out so much.

And then a few months after I turned 18, my dad died. He was suffering with his own demons and took his own life. And I went through some tough battles of dealing with the grief and again Here Comes the Sun shone a light in my life when it was at it’s darkest. And every time I hear Here Comes the Sun, I can’t help but think happy things and how even in your darkest moment there is a sun shining somewhere in your life. And I can’t be more grateful to have that song in my life and it’s all thanks to my boy George.

Here Comes The Sun

…for your listening pleasure <3

About the Author

Ann Hood is the author of the best-selling novels The Book That Matters Most, The Obituary Writer, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, The Red Thread, and The Knitting Circle, as well as the memoir Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and chosen as one of the top ten nonfiction books of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly. She has won two Pushcart Prizes as well as a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, two Best American Food Writing Award, and a Best American Travel Writing award. A regular contributor to the New York Times, Hood’s short stories and essays have appeared in many publications, including Ploughshares, Tin House, Traveler, Bon Appetit, O, More, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Paris Review, and others. She is the editor of the anthologies Knitting Yarns: Writers Writing About Knitting, Knitting Pearls: More Writers Writing About Knitting, and Providence Noir. Hood is also the author of books for children, including the middle-grade novel, How I Saved My Father (And Ruined Everything Else), and the ten-book Treasure Chest series for young readers. Her new memoir, Morningstar: Growing Up with Books, will be published in August. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and New York City, and is married to the writer Michael Ruhlman.

Tour Schedule

June 18 – BookHounds YA – Favorite Beatle and why

June 19 – In Wonderland – Favorite Beatle

June 20 – It’s Just About Write – Author Guest Post: If it starts with the Beatles, what makes boy bands and the stories they inspire still so popular today all these decades later?

June 21 – Dotters Daughters Picks – Author Q&A

June 25 – Ms. Yingling Reads – Review

June 26 – Sweet Things – Review + Creative

June 27 – Book Nerds Across America – Favorite Boy Band

Let’s talk about it!