Azar on Fire

**Finding your voice takes on a whole new meaning as a young teen sets out to win her local Battle of the Bands contest with the help of her school’s lacrosse hottie. “[A] distinctive and hilarious first-person narration of literally finding one’s voice.”—Kirkus Reviews** Fourteen-year-old Azar Rossi’s first year of high school has been mostly silent, and intentionally so. After a bad case of colic as a baby, Azar’s vocal folds are shredded—full of nodules that give her a rasp the envy of a chain-smoking bullfrog. Her classmates might think she’s just quiet, but Azar is saving her voice for when it really counts, and talking to her classmates is not medically advisable or (let’s be real) even high on her list. When an impromptu drum session in a supply closet leads to an epic level of property destruction, the principal leaves Azar with little choice: pay for the damage or show some school spirit (and remorse) by forming a band to compete in the local Battle of the Bands contest. Azar is torn. She would love nothing more than to be in a band, but with her vocal folds the way they are, there’s no way she can sing her songs onstage. Enter lacrosse hottie Ebenezer Lloyd Hollins the Fifth, aka Eben. When she overhears him singing in the locker room, she starts to think she might be able to pull this off after all. His voice + her lyrics = Battle of the Bands gold. But two people does not a band make. Azar has a lot of talking to do and musicians to find. For the chance to stand onstage with Eben, it might all just be worth it.