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clairetbartlett's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun, and even made me tear up (with happiness) at the end.
Michael Pruitt is always looking for his next business venture. So when a "wrong kind of popular" kid from school asks him to help launch his drag kid career, he thinks he's stumbled on a gazillion dollar idea. Coco Caliente, Mistress of Mayhem and Madness is the first client for Michael's talent agency, but soon follow a comedian, a girl and her blind dog who do tricks, an impersonator, and a girl who interprets dreams.
Michael navigates school, bullies, his "evil" sister, finding gigs for his clients, a sick grandfather, a first crush...as well as slowly coming out and figuring out how to be proud. There were definitely moments I cringed, but I think this was a result of my investment in the characters. Michael is a funny, relatable, not always great main character, and side characters are given varying levels of development. There's a hint of redemption for a bully, but more importantly, a nice demonstration that there is no one way to be gay.
There were a couple of descriptive choices the writer made that bugged me, but I don't think kids will be as bothered by the frequent description of people moving hair out of their faces.
Michael Pruitt is always looking for his next business venture. So when a "wrong kind of popular" kid from school asks him to help launch his drag kid career, he thinks he's stumbled on a gazillion dollar idea. Coco Caliente, Mistress of Mayhem and Madness is the first client for Michael's talent agency, but soon follow a comedian, a girl and her blind dog who do tricks, an impersonator, and a girl who interprets dreams.
Michael navigates school, bullies, his "evil" sister, finding gigs for his clients, a sick grandfather, a first crush...as well as slowly coming out and figuring out how to be proud. There were definitely moments I cringed, but I think this was a result of my investment in the characters. Michael is a funny, relatable, not always great main character, and side characters are given varying levels of development. There's a hint of redemption for a bully, but more importantly, a nice demonstration that there is no one way to be gay.
There were a couple of descriptive choices the writer made that bugged me, but I don't think kids will be as bothered by the frequent description of people moving hair out of their faces.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fun book. I will admit, that while I admired Mikey's entrepreneurial spirit, I found his first person narration as well as some of the choices he made fairly annoying. The end of the book was definitely worth it. Recommended for grades 5 & up.
elleinadarat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this to vet its readability for my 11 year old, and I loved it. I super enjoyed Mikey, and all of his quirks. I adored Julian and Colton. Trey and Dinesh were a delight. The adults were ancillary and served to help the story along. And the bullying situation was so hard to read. I do want my daughter to read this, but I think some of it would go over her head right now.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
2.0
OK I mean I think it's cool to have a MG book about drag queens, and I think the way that the narrator learns about drag via RuPaul's drag race and frequent google searches is something that will be really relatable for a selection of tween readers. As the book itself knows, "drag kids" are taking off online and there are definitely some younger readers who will be interested in it for this reason.
Sadly the book's narrator isn't a drag kid, he's a semi-closeted gay boy whose comes from a generation of entrepreneurs, so he's always trying to start businesses and has most recently settled on starting a talent agency, so he books a drag queen 8th grader from his school.
It's a cute premise...for me as an adult reader, Mikey the narrator is supes annoying; his favorite modifier is "crazy-awesome" and that is used on every page. (Sometimes even "super-crazy-awesome.")
Also when we learned that Julian/Coco's dad disapproved of drag I know the dad was going to end up at the drag show and Learn a Valuable Lesson About Accepting his Son, which is nice I guess, but I think it's not cool that MIKEY called Julian's dad and invited him when Julian, Julian's mom, and Julian's grandma all thought it was a bad idea...idk like IRL that doesn't always work out so great.
also like...did you guess that the school bully is actually a gifted artist whose dad puts a lot of pressure on him and in the end can befriend Mikey? did....you guess it. idk I mean it's nice to consider that bullies have problems too but also this befriending-the-bully trope is often like....too much. Also like no surprise that Mikey was literally reading Wonder in this book. Bleh.
Still, it's a cute queer romance and I think there are aspects of this that will appeal to a lot of young readers. My rating is for me, as an adult this was pretty annoying.
Sadly the book's narrator isn't a drag kid, he's a semi-closeted gay boy whose comes from a generation of entrepreneurs, so he's always trying to start businesses and has most recently settled on starting a talent agency, so he books a drag queen 8th grader from his school.
It's a cute premise...for me as an adult reader, Mikey the narrator is supes annoying; his favorite modifier is "crazy-awesome" and that is used on every page. (Sometimes even "super-crazy-awesome.")
Spoiler
Also when we learned that Julian/Coco's dad disapproved of drag I know the dad was going to end up at the drag show and Learn a Valuable Lesson About Accepting his Son, which is nice I guess, but I think it's not cool that MIKEY called Julian's dad and invited him when Julian, Julian's mom, and Julian's grandma all thought it was a bad idea...idk like IRL that doesn't always work out so great.
also like...did you guess that the school bully is actually a gifted artist whose dad puts a lot of pressure on him and in the end can befriend Mikey? did....you guess it. idk I mean it's nice to consider that bullies have problems too but also this befriending-the-bully trope is often like....too much. Also like no surprise that Mikey was literally reading Wonder in this book. Bleh.
Still, it's a cute queer romance and I think there are aspects of this that will appeal to a lot of young readers. My rating is for me, as an adult this was pretty annoying.
carolined314's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This utterly improbable and absolutely wonderful tale made me laugh. Buy copies to leave at bus stops. It's fantastic.
artransvet's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
amandaatkinson06's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I did not like Mikey when this book started, but I absolutely loved him by the time I turned the last page. Throughout the book he has moments of utter cluelessness that border on unbelievable. However, he shows such much emotional growth as the book progresses that he ended up stealing my heart.
arp363's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so much fun! Mikey is a 12yo entrepreneur who airways has an idea for the next big money making scheme. His newest one is talent agent and his first client is Julian, aka Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem. Yes, Julian is a kid drag queen trying to find his stage. Mikey takes on the task as well as a few other talented kids. Together, the rising stars and the talent agent of Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency learn how to succeed in the entertainment world. Lots of heart and sass in the pages of this story!