Booklist - Stagestruck: Curtain Up!

Never underestimate the power of a Broadway-obsessed tween. Readers familiar with the drama kid phenomenon—encompassing camps, voice lessons, dance classes, predawn drives to auditions, and trips to New York City to see the Great White Way—will not be surprised at the energy and determination Anya brings to her plan of creating an all-kids musical production in her suburban subdivision’s disused rec center. Disappointed at her middle school’s lack of a drama club, Anya teams up with the slightly dreamy Austin, a talented playwright whose knowledge of musical theater almost rivals her own, and her younger sister, who brings a realist’s perspective to Anya’s starry-eyed plans. Soon enough, everyone is involved in putting on the show. Kids who live for this stuff will appreciate the musical theater in-jokes and ignore the slightly stilted dialogue. Based on the author’s own experience, this will be a satisfying choice for fans of Tim Federle’s Better Nate than Ever (2013) and Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead’s Jack & Louisa (2015).