Beware, celebrities: thanks to social media, "the fangirls of today are a way more sophisticated bunch." The U.K. boy band the Ruperts, a reality-TV generated group that plays "catchy, mindless pop," is worshipped by Strepurs (Ruperts backwards), fangirls who "go the extra mile": they write fics (fanfiction), tweet death threats at each other and always wear their favorite Rupert's perfume. When four 15-year-old Strepurs accidentally kidnap one of the Ruperts while stalking the band at a hotel in Manhattan, they can't agree on what to do with him. Chillingly, they soon find that the decision has been made for them in the worst possible way, testing their fandom as well as their friendships.
In debut author Goldy Moldavsky's Kill the Boy Band, the unnamed narrator focuses less on consequences and more on why boy bands and the girls who love them are so important--and how the obsession itself is "an escape from the suckiness of everyday life." The satirical, shockingly grisly story of extreme fandom gone bad is laden with lingo (cray, fic, YOLO), peppered with profanity and fresh as a Tumblr post while lurching between best-friend teasing and mean-girl cruelty. The girls are cold, crass and cruel, but the Ruperts aren't much better. Not all teens will be ready for the intensity of the Strepurs or the story, but older teens and adults who love Heathers will be delighted. --Stephanie Anderson, assistant director for public services, Darien Library (Conn.)