Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet love jamming together, but are they ready to perform in front of a real audience in a Battle of the Bands competition? Find out in the first book of this early chapter book series! Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet love jamming together in Jasmine's basement. Maggie bangs on the drums, Becca strums her guitar, Jasmine plunks the keys of her keyboard, and Scarlet wails into her hairbrush mic. Even though they may not have the best equipment, or an audience, they have fun making music to their own beat. But when Jasmine's brother tells her about an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition, Jasmine thinks this could be their chance to prove they're a real band. Now she just has to convince the other girls. . . . With each book told from a different girl's perspective, this series is all about girl power, diversity, and marching to the beat of your own drum! Gr 2–4—Jasmine and her friends have been blithely jamming out together and making up silly songs. When she discovers there will be a Battle of the Bands at this year's Fall Festival, she has to convince the other Major Eights to register. Jasmine also discovers that Leslie Miller, her classmate and major source of competition, has also signed up to perform a piano solo. As pressure mounts, so does discord within the junior music group. Reed has created an inclusive set of young female characters learning to work collaboratively while also preserving their friendship. Themes of conquering one's fears and female empowerment are felt within the narrative and are tailored for the early elementary set. Pépin's experience in the video game industry influences her designs and makes the characters in the series animated and appealing to young readers. VERDICT A new beginning chapter series that will be music to many independent readers' ears, especially if they enjoy relatable realistic fiction.—Claire Moore, Manhattan Beach Library, CA Melody Reed is a chapter book, middle grade, and YA author. She loves creating strong female characters and writing about outer space and Mars. She lives in Silicon Valley with her family. Émilie Pépin is a passionate illustrator whose love for picture books led her to become an illustrator and designer. After completing her studies at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal, Émilie worked for many years in the children's video games industry as a 2-D artist and art director before becoming a freelancer. She lives in the green region of the Laurentians in Québec.