Preteens who are star-struck for Broadway will enjoy the drama
Lulu’s dreams are big for a little mouse: starring on Broadway.
Lulu lives in the very best house, the Schubert Theatre, on West 44th Street. Her passion is to perform on stage. In a first-person narrative, the little mouse interacts with and assists the cast and crew backstage. Her ability to speak English and her full acceptance despite her rodent nature are givens. The drama of the story revolves around a self-centered child performer, who rarely misses a performance and whom Lulu does not like because she is full of “Sugarcoated meanness,” and the very friendly understudy who decides to chuck it all and go home to New Jersey. Can the new understudy overcome her stage fright? Spoiler alert: Dreams can come true for performers of all sizes. Lulu writes with a very chatty, insider’s point of view (the author made her debut on Broadway in Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and author Tim Federle) and tosses out references to Broadway luminaries such as Stephen Sondheim and Elaine Stritch along with shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!, and Wicked. Cast and crew default to white, with one Italian-American and one guy who “dates men” but flirts with women singled out. Gavigan concludes her tale with a list of recommendations about New York City, proper theater behavior, and how to live your own theatrical dream.
Preteens who are star-struck for Broadway will enjoy the drama . (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6461-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Running Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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