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the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
This book features a character a little like a Latina “Nate” (Tim Federle’s series that has been banned in a lot of states, most recently Texas) but intended for slightly younger readers.
Twelve-year old Moncia Garcia is following her dream to be a Broadway star. She gets a call up as an understudy to the musical Our Time and off she goes to NYC with her abuela.
After meeting her castmates, seeing how far along the cast is in rehearsals, and figuring out how school works on a Broadway play, she quickly learns all the girls playing this part before her have fallen to the theater’s curse. That’s why she was called up.
If she wants the play to go on, much less be a smash hit, she’ll have to figure out what the curse on the Ethel Merman Theater actually is, how it got there, and what it needs to stop haunting actors and dragging their productions and the theater down.
Even if it means she’s not on stage to make it happen.
I loved this quick tale. It’s a bit mysterious, but certainly not horror (I have a ton of great horror books planned for October!). And I loved that it was written by one of the actresses from Hamilton.
Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Twelve-year old Moncia Garcia is following her dream to be a Broadway star. She gets a call up as an understudy to the musical Our Time and off she goes to NYC with her abuela.
After meeting her castmates, seeing how far along the cast is in rehearsals, and figuring out how school works on a Broadway play, she quickly learns all the girls playing this part before her have fallen to the theater’s curse. That’s why she was called up.
If she wants the play to go on, much less be a smash hit, she’ll have to figure out what the curse on the Ethel Merman Theater actually is, how it got there, and what it needs to stop haunting actors and dragging their productions and the theater down.
Even if it means she’s not on stage to make it happen.
I loved this quick tale. It’s a bit mysterious, but certainly not horror (I have a ton of great horror books planned for October!). And I loved that it was written by one of the actresses from Hamilton.
Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
jbrooxd's review
2.0
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
2.5 stars = Mostly solid to solid, issues but okay overall
This one didn't work for me. There's not a lot of character development except with the main character, so not an ensemble story even though there is a quartet of kids working together on the mystery. There are a lot of spots where background information is dropped into the text instead of into dialogue, but there's no way the main character would know the information. It's third person POV, but these pieces felt like they should have been spoken or revealed in another way (This could have been a great story for multiple POV with the four kids). At the least, it was telling instead of showing; done in a different way it would have made the story stronger.
The basics for an interesting paranormal story with fun insider information about theater/Broadway are here, but they could have been presented in a different way to make the story stronger.
2.5 stars = Mostly solid to solid, issues but okay overall
This one didn't work for me. There's not a lot of character development except with the main character, so not an ensemble story even though there is a quartet of kids working together on the mystery. There are a lot of spots where background information is dropped into the text instead of into dialogue, but there's no way the main character would know the information. It's third person POV, but these pieces felt like they should have been spoken or revealed in another way (This could have been a great story for multiple POV with the four kids). At the least, it was telling instead of showing; done in a different way it would have made the story stronger.
The basics for an interesting paranormal story with fun insider information about theater/Broadway are here, but they could have been presented in a different way to make the story stronger.
lydiagordon02's review
4.0
Super cute book for kids 8+! The mix of music and writing is so fun. And any fan of Broadway and musicals would love all the fun references. I loved how the writer included interlude chapters that contained poetry. A little slow and wished the ghost storyline had a better reasoning and ending, but I’m probably just being picky. Overall, I loved it.
jamikaye1980's review
4.0
Neat story about a young aspiring Broadway star... based on the author's own life. I liked it, but I don't feel that it is Sequoyah worthy.
ajaubrey1's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mlmhc's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
scostner's review
3.0
Written by Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton, In the Heights, and Wicked), this middle-grade novel combines mystery and musical theater in a very entertaining way. Protagonist Monica travels from California to New York when a big break as understudy for a Broadway show is offered. But her arrival finds a once great theater now in shabby splendor, rehearsals plagued with accidents, and a rumored curse on the entire thing. Can Monica and the other child actors find the clues to why the theater's luck has run out in time to save their own show?
Monica's character is well-developed. Readers will see the close relationship with her grandmother Abuelita, who accompanies her to New York and also with her brother Freddy. Although she is a bit shy, she still makes friends with the other actors and gets along well with the adults she meets. Her determination to save the production stems from her own love of performing, but also from her knowledge of what a successful show will mean for her family and for the others involved.
The curse shows itself in large and small mishaps and problems. Some may be the type of accidents that could happen in any theater, but others seem too bizarre to be anything but the result of vengeful spirits or some other negative force. As the kids investigate, they learn more about the history of the theater housing their show and readers learn more about Broadway in general. (It certainly helps that the author has inside knowledge of theater traditions.)
Recommended for upper elementary or early middle school readers who enjoy mysteries, have a love of the theater, or prefer stories with a group of friends working together to solve a problem or puzzle.
Monica's character is well-developed. Readers will see the close relationship with her grandmother Abuelita, who accompanies her to New York and also with her brother Freddy. Although she is a bit shy, she still makes friends with the other actors and gets along well with the adults she meets. Her determination to save the production stems from her own love of performing, but also from her knowledge of what a successful show will mean for her family and for the others involved.
The curse shows itself in large and small mishaps and problems. Some may be the type of accidents that could happen in any theater, but others seem too bizarre to be anything but the result of vengeful spirits or some other negative force. As the kids investigate, they learn more about the history of the theater housing their show and readers learn more about Broadway in general. (It certainly helps that the author has inside knowledge of theater traditions.)
Recommended for upper elementary or early middle school readers who enjoy mysteries, have a love of the theater, or prefer stories with a group of friends working together to solve a problem or puzzle.
ofpagesandparagraphs's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
caitlinsgarden's review
4.0
A cute, fun and spooky middle grade about theater, a curse, and friendships. It was fun and sweet and perfect during spooky season!
cjeziorski's review
3.0
Middle grade mystery that will appeal to kids interested in Broadway and the theater.