Union Ave Books welcomes Brook Benjamin to talk about their book MY SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS. Brooks will be joined in conversation by Hannah Rials, bookseller and author of The Ascension Series, most recently RECLAMATION. This free virtual event takes place on  October 24th @ 2pm on Zoom, send an RSVP to RSVP@unionavebooks.com to attend. Please include the the title of the book MY SEVENTH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS in the subject line. We will send the zoom link the day of the event. 

This is a part of a new series we are calling Young Readers in Appalachia. Stay tuned for forthcoming virtual event announcements!

DESCRIPTION

The perfect book for kids who are fans of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors! Football hero. Ninja freestyler. It's seventh grade. Anything is possible.

All Dillon wants is to be a real dancer. And if he wins a summer scholarship at Dance-Splosion, he’s on his way. The problem? His dad wants him to play football. And Dillon’s freestyle crew, the Dizzee Freekz, says that dance studios are for sellouts. His friends want Dillon to kill it at the audition—so he can turn around and tell the studio just how wrong their rules and creativity-strangling ways are.

At first, Dillon’s willing to go along with his crew’s plan, even convincing one of the snobbiest girls at school to work with him on his technique. But as Dillon’s dancing improves, he wonders: what if studios aren’t the enemy? And what if he actually has a shot at winning the scholarship? 

Dillon’s life is about to get crazy . . . on and off the dance floor in this kid-friendly humorous debut by Brooks Benjamin.

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"I couldn't stop smiling. Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, Dillon's journey to find his people and his place in the world will charm everyone lucky enough to come along for the ride."--Jessica Cluess, author of A Shadow Bright and Burning

“A rollicking, big-hearted breakdance of a book. It’s a story about friendship that’s got all the moves: humor both sly and slapstick, a diverse cast of characters, and a winning narrator who’s trying to learn how to follow his heart, find the beat, and dance his pants right off.” —Kate Hattemer, author of The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In sixth grade, Brooks Benjamin formed a New Kids on the Block tribute dance crew called the New Kidz. He wasn’t that good at dancing. But now he’s got a new crew—his wife and all his amazing students. He lives in Tennessee, where he teaches 4th grade and occasionally busts out a few dance moves. They're still not that good. MY SEVENTH-GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS (Random House) is his first novel.

Hannah Rials started writing her first novel Ascension when she was twelve years old. Eight years later, Ascension became reality, followed by Clandestine and Reclamation over the next four years. Hannah has a BA in Creative Writing from UT Chattanooga and a Master's degree in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. She currently works at Union Avenue Books in Knoxville, bakes too many sweet treats, and takes all the photos of her corgi, Buddy.