Shannon in the Spotlight
-
- €8.49
-
- €8.49
Publisher Description
After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD.
Shannon Carter never considered herself much of a theater person. Not like her two BFFs, Elise, an actress, and Fatima, a techie. Shannon’s always been content to stay backstage, helping wherever she can. But when the director of the summer musical hears Shannon singing, he encourages her to step out of the wings and into the spotlight.
At first, Shannon is hesitant. As a twelve-year-old with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she depends on routine. But when she braves the audition, she discovers that center stage is the one place where she doesn’t feel anxious. She lands a lead role, and everyone in her life is ecstatic . . . except Elise.
To make matters worse, Shannon’s eccentric and opinionated grandmother moves in with her and her mom after a fluke house fire. As opening night approaches, Shannon feels pressure to save her friendship with Elise, to make Mom and Grandma Ruby act like grown-ups, and to follow the old theater adage The show must go on.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, complex tween relationships, and finding one's niche take center stage in this delicately realized novel from Miller (The Night When No One Had Sex). In suburban Minneapolis, white 12-year-old Shannon Carter has always kept her love of musical theater behind the scenes, staying within her comfort zone as a techie. But when the director of her community theater's production of The Sound of Music hears her sing and demands that she audition, Shannon finds herself cast as Brigitta von Trapp—the role coveted by one of her best friends. As Shannon moves forward into rehearsals, her OCD presents new challenges, a rival production increases pressure, and her critical grandmother temporarily moves in after a house fire—taking Shannon's bed, and clashing with her single mother about parenting and Shannon's OCD. On top of all that, she becomes interested in Black-cued Micah, the assured new boy cast as Kurt in her production. Miller, who lives with OCD, employs a conversational first-person voice, relaying self-aware Shannon's endeavors to balance her mental health, her newfound confidence, and her desire to keep the peace, while emotionally profound themes elevate a low-stakes plot. Context cues suggest a racially diverse secondary cast. Ages 10–up.
