★ “In a story about growing pains, turning points, and self-discovery, Bigelow shows an equally clear understanding of the dynamics of camp life and young adolescent emotions. Melly’s responses to situations are authentic, especially the excitement and confusion she feels when she is attracted to another female camper. Bigelow has a graceful and genuine touch as her protagonist processes new experiences and navigates changes in friendships and family.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★ “In a story about growing pains, turning points, and self-discovery, Bigelow shows a clear understanding of young adolescent emotions. Melly’s responses to situations are authentic, especially the excitement and confusion she feels when she is attracted to another female camper. Bigelow has a graceful and genuine touch.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Drum Roll, Please is a perfect middle-grade love story. Bigelow artfully captures the complexity of middle-school relationships and, with a gentle hand, delivers a mighty message to turn up the volume on your inner drumbeat.” - Ami Polonsky, author of Gracefully Grayson and Threads
“Melly is a memorable, relatable character, and Bigelow tells her funny, heartfelt story with a lively blend of emotional moments and more musical puns than you can shake a (drum)stick at. Readers looking for an entertaining camp story, as well as fans of Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl or the long-running Lumberjanes series, will get a kick out of this empowering book.” - ALA Booklist
“Melly is a memorable, relatable character, and Bigelow tells her funny, heartfelt story with a lively blend of emotional moments. Readers looking for an entertaining camp story, as well as fans of Victoria Jamieson’s Roller Girl or the Lumberjanes series, will get a kick out of this empowering book.” - ALA Booklist
“Melly is a complex blend of anger, curiosity, and creativity, appealingly laying her emotions bare for readers. Fresh and exhilarating, a welcome addition to the growing middle-grade genre of girls who like girls.” - Kirkus Reviews
★ “Both fun and substantial, readable and empowering, this novel is a master class in balancing real issues with a light-hearted tone. Bigelow’s compassionate take on the classic middle school topics of family, friendship, and first romance hits all the right notes. Highly recommended; a perfect summer read for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer Holm.” - School Library Journal (starred review)
★ “Fun and substantial, readable and empowering, this is a master class in balancing real issues with a light-hearted tone. Bigelow’s compassionate take on the topics of family, friendship, and first romance hits all the right notes. A perfect summer read for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer Holm.” - School Library Journal (starred review)