Blackbird fly / by Erin Entrada Kelly.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Future rock star, or friendless misfit That's no choice at all. Apple Yengko moved from the Philippines to Louisiana when she was little, and now that she is in middle school, she grapples with being different, with friends and backstabbers, and with following her dreams.

Apple has always felt a little different from her classmates. Her mother still cooks Filipino foods, speaks a mix of English and Cebuano, and chastises Apple for becoming "too American." It becomes unbearable in middle school, when the boys--the stupid, stupid boys--in Apple's class put her name on the Dog Log, the list of the most unpopular girls in school. When Apple's friends turn on her and everything about her life starts to seem weird and embarrassing, Apple turns to music. If she can just save enough to buy a guitar and learn to play, maybe she can change herself. It might be the music that saves her . . . or it might be her two new friends, who show how special she really is. Erin Entrada Kelly deftly brings Apple's conflicted emotions to the page in her debut novel about family, friendship, popularity, and going your own way.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Despite having moved from the Philippines to Louisiana at age four, Analyn Pearl Yengko, nicknamed Apple, still doesn't feel at home, even now that she's in eighth grade. Dreaming of becoming a songwriter, Apple pours her emotion into music, obsessing over the Beatles (her late father left behind one of their cassette tapes) and trying to figure out how she can acquire a guitar. But Apple's mother wants her to focus on her education, adding tension to a relationship already being tested by Apple's embarrassment that their home life is not typically "American." Meanwhile at school, Apple's best friend deserts her after Apple lands on the "Dog Log," a list of the 10 ugliest girls at school. Writing with acute sensitivity and sometimes painful realism, debut novelist Kelly skillfully captures the betrayals, tentative first crushes, and fluctuating emotions of middle school, which are heightened by Apple's awareness of her cultural and ethnic difference. In the face of her classmates' casual racism and cruelty, Apple's efforts to make genuine friends and embrace the things that make her unique feel like a true triumph. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-Eighth grader Apple and her mother moved from the Philippines to Louisiana several years ago after the death of her father. All Apple has left of her dad is a Beatles cassette with his name written on it. At school, her two best friends are trying to become part of the in-group and have become very critical of her, especially after it's discovered that she is on the unwritten Dog-Log and considered one of the ugliest girls in school. Apple is embarrassed by her mother, who doesn't speak English well. The protagonist is desperate to get a guitar so she can learn to play the Beatles songs that her dad loved, but her mother is adamant that she not waste her time on music. Soon, Apple makes friends with a new boy, Evan, who's not impressed with her former friends or their boyfriends. When the music teacher loans her a guitar, she discovers that she is something of a prodigy. The story will resonate with any student in middle school who has felt different and ostracized. The author has skillfully captured the various characters that populate Apple's middle school. Only Apple's mother remains two-dimensional until almost the end. The story is rather predictable until it ends with a twist. Apple mentions her favorite song "Blackbird" many times; readers unfamiliar with the song would benefit from listening to a recording or finding a YouTube clip.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Apple hates her nickname. It isn't the only thing about her life that she hates, either. She despises being different and longs to be just like all of her classmates. But she simply does not fit in: her mother speaks in her native tongue and cooks Filipino food. Apple likes music most of her friends have never heard, especially her well-worn Beatles albums. When Apple learns she is on the Dog Log, a list of the ugliest girls in school, she discovers who her true friends are. Debut author Kelly skillfully weaves together the story of misfit Apple, her love of music, and a budding romance with a new boy at school, while never losing focus on the central issue of what it is like to be the other. Readers will be scurrying to find the music on Apple's list of favorite songs, many of them by the Beatles. Those titles are included in all the chapter titles as well, giving readers a tantalizing hint of events about to unfold.--Lesesne, Teri Copyright 2015 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Louisianan Analyn "Apple" Yengko is tired of being different; she's ashamed of her mother and her Filipina American heritage. Things get worse when she's put on the "Dog Log," a list of the middle school's ten ugliest girls. Thankfully, Apple's passion for music allows her to transform herself and take flight. Kelly sensitively explores issues of bullying and friendship in her solid debut. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Apple Yengko has one possession from the Philippinesa Beatles cassette tape with her father's name written on it. She knows every song by heart. After her father's death when she was very young, Apple and her mother moved to the United States. There is not much diversity in Apple's small Louisiana town. Her classmates call her Chinese though she is Filipina and bully her with taunts of "dog-eater." Apple's self-esteem plummets when she learns she is on the Dog Log, the boys' list of the ugliest girls, and her friends abandon her. She hates her name, her mother's accent, the shape of her eyes, everything that makes her different. She takes refuge in music, becoming determined to get her own guitar, despite her mother's protests. Slowly, Apple develops new, healthy friendships. She comes to see through the cruelty of her classmates and to discover the unique characteristics that make her special. Each character in Kelly's debut novelthe mean kids, the misfits, the adults and Apple herselfis portrayed with remarkable authenticity. The awkwardness and intense feelings inherent to middle school are palpable. Children's literature has been waiting for Apple Yengkoa strong, Asian-American girl whose ethnic identity simultaneously complicates and enriches her life. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.