• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Ellie is used to getting leading roles in her small-town school’s musicals, but her place at center stage disappears when her dad becomes the host of a breakfast TV show and they have to move to the big city.

When Ellie auditions for—and lands—a spot with the Youth Works Theater Company, she comes up against a tight-knit group of talented, experienced and competitive triple-threat performers. Not only does she not get a lead, but she has to share a role with Marissa, a company veteran who seems determined to do all she can to outshine Ellie. Out of her depth and far from all that she’s known, Ellie wonders just what she has to do to stop feeling upstaged by everyone around her.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Patricia McCowan originally wanted to be an actor. She took acting classes as a kid, was a drama-club nerd in high school and studied acting at the University of Winnipeg and the Banff Centre. After acting for a while (and then becoming a mom), she directed her creative energies to writing. Her short stories have appeared in YA anthologies, as well as in print and online magazines. For more information, visit www.patriciamccowan.com.

Patricia McCowan's profile page

"A good choice for high-low readers...recommended."

School Library Connection

"A quick read, and the frequent references to current and classic musical titles will appeal to readers who fancy the limelight for themselves."

Booklist

"[McCowan] presents an accurate account of a theater company, with its off-site, dress, and technical rehearsals, and a convincingly diverse urban cast of secondary characters...A nifty story for theater fans."

Kirkus Reviews