EVERYONE’S A CRITIC

Witty prose and snappy patter don’t elevate this latest in the Drama! series to much above the level of fluff, although it certainly will appeal to many young readers who enjoy stories of teen friendship and rivalries. Ruditis (Rainbow Party, 2005) emphasizes relationships far above the purported theatrical theme of the book. Given two weeks to prepare monologues and scenes to win a spot in a major acting school, the characters demonstrate their devotion to their craft by blowing off rehearsals in favor of their personal and emotional problems. The villains are obvious and over the top, although Ruditis provides one nice twist involving them at the end. Too many characters confuse the presentation, and the attempts to describe acting performances fall prey to the same difficulties authors face in describing music: It just doesn’t translate into print. Ruditis does, however, write cleverly, and that’s probably enough to attract an audience. (Fiction. YA)