Beatle Meets Destiny

Gr 8—11—Australian high school senior Beatle (real name: John Lennon. Really.) is superstitious enough to head home early on Friday the 13. There's a greater likelihood of a car accident on that night and he doesn't want to push his luck by staying out late. Also waiting for the tram is Destiny (last name: McCartney. Really.). The pair decide that fate has brought them together and go for ice cream. The relationship blooms, or would, if not for Beatle's trusting girlfriend, Cilla, who happens to be best friends with his twin sister. Destiny has her own problems, related to purloined art materials, her astrology column in the local paper, and a job listing answered out of boredom that quickly turns creepy. The main story—Beatle and Destiny's budding relationship and Beatle's own entanglements—is a sweet, if complicated and ill-timed, romance, but the thread of the narrative gets lost at times amid interviews with twins, including Beatle and his sister, for a documentary and the constantly shifting focus from Beatle to Destiny. Still, the disparate plot points come together in a reasonably satisfying conclusion. An additional purchase for teens looking for a light romance with a smattering of drama.—Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA