MY LIFE, THE THEATER, AND OTHER TRAGEDIES

Drama begets drama in this examination of relationships set against the backdrop of a high-school theater production. When his father died after a late-night car crash, Adam Ziegler withdrew from his friends and started fearing total darkness. His life is all about the catwalks in the school theater, setting up the lights for the current production, hiding from the domineering director and avoiding the actors that control the school’s social structure. However, he finds that he can’t resist Summer, a new actress who takes the lead after a sudden accident eliminates the former star. As he and Summer begin flirting, Adam finds himself at odds with the stage crew’s unwritten rule that keeps actors and technicians apart—and under suspicion when other problems befall the production. Zadoff frames Adam and Summer’s relationship roughly on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a rather effective vehicle for the romance. Overall characterization is a bit weak, with director Mr. Apple’s over-the-top moments grating the most, followed closely by prima donna actor Derek’s smarmy behavior. Adam’s attempt to hide from his friends inadvertently locks his personality away from the readers as well, though flashes of both humor and sadness leak through his shell. Though not a Broadway sensation, this mostly solid tale ultimately appeals. (Fiction. YA)