Muted

Description: "For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown. So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean Mercury Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights--plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it. Until they're not"--Provided by publisher.

Brief description: Tami Charles is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the picture book All Because You Matter (illustrated by Bryan Collier) and the novels Muted, Like Vanessa, and Becoming Beatriz. In her teens and early twenties, Tami enjoyed a taste of fame as a member of an all-girl R&B trio. They performed for Boyz II Men, BET, and Showtime at the Apollo, and had a one-hit wonder on the radio. After college, Tami worked as an educator for thirteen years before pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an author. For more information on Tami, visit tamiwrites.com

Review Quotes:

Praise for Muted:

* "Heart-racing . . . [a] taut and gritty read." -Booklist, starred review

* "Charles's heartbreaking novel in verse shows the harsh realities of the music industry." -School Library Journal, starred review

"Catapults [readers] toward a breathless, satisfying conclusion." -The Horn Book

"Highly-anticipated . . . Groundbreaking." -Entertainment Weekly

"One of those books that when you finish, you stare at it for a little bit and need a moment before you can do other things - it is that good." -Buzzfeed

"Muted blends the music of beautiful poetry with a powerful and relevant message. A stunning book." -Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree and Young People's Poet Laureate Emeritus

"A captivating and unflinching view into the dark corners of the music industry where souls are crushed in the silence between songs." -Lamar Giles, author of Spin and Not So Pure and Simple

"An intense ride that unfolds lyrically, Muted is thrumming with emotion, tension and, most of all, heart. A heart-pounding page-turner, from start to finish." -Debbie Rigaud, New York Times bestselling author of Truly Madly Royally and co-author of the Hope series

"Mesmerizing! Raw and honest, Charles captures the voice of a bright young star trapped between a dream and a nightmare in this devastatingly beautiful novel-in-verse -- a page-turning lyrical journey!" -Kim Johnson, best-selling author of This Is My America