The show must go on with the Reel family. Sisters Alex, 12, Stevie, 10, and Joey, 8, negotiate the waters of sisterhood better than most. Except for middle-child Stevie, the Reel family is born with the acting bug. Dad is the set builder for the Raven Theater and mom, dad, and oldest sister Alex are all actors. Using a combination of personal journals, family-life scripts, and first-person narratives from each sister’s point of view, McDonald paints the picture of an entirely normal family in a somewhat unusual line of work. While working on Beauty and the Beast, Alex survives her first crush, a boy coming over for dinner, a kiss, squabbles with her sisters, and a broken ankle right in the middle of the play. But the sisters rally and the show is saved. A light-hearted, enjoyable production for all, especially the reader. (Fiction. 7-11)
