DUSTIN GRUBBS

Comedy rules as seventh-grader and showbiz wannabe Dustin tries to grab a part in the school musical, live with his wacky family, cope with his wacky friends and enemies, and, maybe, get a part in a national commercial. Dustin’s divorced dad now lives in Chicago, trying to make a living as a stand-up comic. Dustin tries to follow Dad’s advice in his audition for “Oliver!” with disastrous results, and encounters more problems when the jocks in his school try to get the whole production cancelled. When he scores in the audition for the commercial, though, he’s faced with a moral dilemma: Should he go to the call-back audition or to his Aunt’s wedding? And, can he get his parents together again? The giggles never stop no matter what Dustin does, with snappy dialogue coming from every character. Great fun for kids who like to laugh. (Fiction. YA)