Girl Out Loud

*Silent Scream!* It's the seriously ridiculous saga of a reluctant rock chick. Kass Kennedy is nobody's idol. She does forget the lyrics. She's not a gleek. The x factor? Not her! Read her lips: She has the right to remain silent. Just try telling that to her dad. Because he's totally lost it this time. He's signed Kass up as a contestant on a reality-TV singing show. Which would be slightly less than death-by-embarrassment if Kass could (duh) actually sing. And if even the smallest part of her craved the spotlight. Not helping? Her suddently sort of MIA mom. And Izzy and Char, who've gone all frenemies over a boy in brown boots. (Don't ask.) It's only rock n' roll, but how is Kass going to survive major humiliation, before a panel of celebrity judges, on national television, and still keep her sanity - and her family - intact?

EMILY GALE's nickname as a child was "Kojak" (for younger readers, that is a 1970s television show about a big bald man who sucked lollipops and solved crimes and said, "Who loves ya, baby?" a lot). Emily is scared of chickens, but not of spiders. Visit her at www.emilygale.co.uk and follow her on Twitter @EmilyGale.