Drama
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 12/7/2020
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 12/7/2020 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I picked up this softcover in Barnes and Noble, for another release copy. (I first heard of this book via one of BCer N8an's blog posts, in which a bookstore customer objected to the book's presence in the 9-to-12 age-group shelves because it has some gay characters - as if 9-to-12-year-old gay kids shouldn't have books featuring characters like themselves!)
I found this a really charming story, with lots of details about the behind-the-scenes efforts involved in putting on a play, and with some very lively examples of the many different ways that middle-school relationships can turn out. There are some really delightful scenes, such as when Callie and friends hit the bookstore; one enthuses over the manga, and Callie points out a huge book of Broadway stage and set designs.
Oh, and the gay characters - yes, there are some, and they play their part in the various changes of who's-got-a-crush-on-whom that form the background of the plot. It's all very sweet, with notes of "bittersweet" in a few cases. I dearly wish this book had been around when I was in junior high - not just for the gay characters, but for the believable yet kind-hearted look at all manner of relationships. (I loved spotting the first stages of new crushes; the author helps out by providing suitable blushes and grins and sparkly eyes, but some are more subtle than others.)
Another charming scene: Callie demonstrating why she is in the stage crew, by belting out a song during auditions for the play. She really can't sing... but that doesn't stop her from having a great time. (Her ability to do this comes to her aid later on when her date ditches her at a dance - after some tears she pulls herself together and goes back to the party. She's my hero!) And her enthusiasm about making a cannon actually fire on stage is quite entertaining - and might give nightmares to people who've struggled with props in real life...
Oh, and the show-must-go-on scene near the end - I admit I got a little teary-eyed when the applause kicked in. Really sweet story!
[There's a TV Tropes page on the book, with some entertaining tidbits.]
I found this a really charming story, with lots of details about the behind-the-scenes efforts involved in putting on a play, and with some very lively examples of the many different ways that middle-school relationships can turn out. There are some really delightful scenes, such as when Callie and friends hit the bookstore; one enthuses over the manga, and Callie points out a huge book of Broadway stage and set designs.
Oh, and the gay characters - yes, there are some, and they play their part in the various changes of who's-got-a-crush-on-whom that form the background of the plot. It's all very sweet, with notes of "bittersweet" in a few cases. I dearly wish this book had been around when I was in junior high - not just for the gay characters, but for the believable yet kind-hearted look at all manner of relationships. (I loved spotting the first stages of new crushes; the author helps out by providing suitable blushes and grins and sparkly eyes, but some are more subtle than others.)
Another charming scene: Callie demonstrating why she is in the stage crew, by belting out a song during auditions for the play. She really can't sing... but that doesn't stop her from having a great time. (Her ability to do this comes to her aid later on when her date ditches her at a dance - after some tears she pulls herself together and goes back to the party. She's my hero!) And her enthusiasm about making a cannon actually fire on stage is quite entertaining - and might give nightmares to people who've struggled with props in real life...
Oh, and the show-must-go-on scene near the end - I admit I got a little teary-eyed when the applause kicked in. Really sweet story!
[There's a TV Tropes page on the book, with some entertaining tidbits.]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at LFL - Caldwell Rd #43 in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, December 9, 2020
GoryDetails at LFL - Caldwell Rd #43 in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Released 3 yrs ago (12/9/2020 UTC) at LFL - Caldwell Rd #43 in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.I left this book in the rainbow-painted Little Free Library, after seeing a request for LGBTQ books on a local Facebook page; hope someone enjoys it!
[See other recent releases in NH here.]
*** Released for the 2020 D for December challenge. ***
