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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I recieved a free eARC so I could read and review this book. Thank you for the opportunity.
Shannon is a tween who loves music theater, hanging out with her friends...and who needs order and routines. Shannon's OCD affects her life. When Shannon gets cast in the part her best friend wants and her grandmother moves in after a house fire, her carefully controlled life spins out of control.
This is a positive book that addresses OCD in a realistic way. Shannon's struggles to control her life and deal with her OCD are relatable, as are her friendship struggles. Grandma Ruby is a quirky character and adds life to this book. Middle grade readers who enjoy books about theater, friendships, and family relationships will enjoy this book, and may learn something about OCD in the process,
Shannon is a tween who loves music theater, hanging out with her friends...and who needs order and routines. Shannon's OCD affects her life. When Shannon gets cast in the part her best friend wants and her grandmother moves in after a house fire, her carefully controlled life spins out of control.
This is a positive book that addresses OCD in a realistic way. Shannon's struggles to control her life and deal with her OCD are relatable, as are her friendship struggles. Grandma Ruby is a quirky character and adds life to this book. Middle grade readers who enjoy books about theater, friendships, and family relationships will enjoy this book, and may learn something about OCD in the process,
There are so many things to like about Shannon in the Spotlight! The characters feel real, and the struggles between friends seems quite relatable for middle grade readers. My theater-loving kid will love all the Sound of Music scenes. Personally, I'm not a big fan of 12-year-olds having boyfriends/girlfriends, but at least Micah is a good friend to Shannon, and I think that's a good thing for younger kids to see represented in books.
(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
The OCD representation in this middle-grade novel is very realistic and comes from the author's personal experiences. I really appreciated that, but I found the theater-centric story somewhat dull, since the theater parts are full of rote details without enough suspense or humor to keep it compelling.
The relationship tension in the protagonist's life was extremely realistic and extremely stressful to read about. Shannon's grandmother and mother constantly argue, put each other down, and create unnecessary drama, and one of Shannon's best friends is a complete and total jerk for almost the entire book. I would have enjoyed the story more the author had chosen between these subplots, since their intense negativity takes up much of the book.
As another reviewer has already noted, the Muslim representation is extremely superficial. Since Fatima appears in hijab on the cover, I expected her religion to be part of the story, but she and her brother could have been written as any other race or religion without their characters changing at all. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since plenty of culturally Mulism teenagers aren't notably different from their peers, but the hijab's prominence of the cover will make many readers hope for more.
I was going to recommend some other middle-grade novel about OCD at the end of this review, but there are too many for that to be practical, which makes me really happy! If you're looking for books with similar mental health representation, feel free to look through my OCD shelf.
The relationship tension in the protagonist's life was extremely realistic and extremely stressful to read about. Shannon's grandmother and mother constantly argue, put each other down, and create unnecessary drama, and one of Shannon's best friends is a complete and total jerk for almost the entire book. I would have enjoyed the story more the author had chosen between these subplots, since their intense negativity takes up much of the book.
As another reviewer has already noted, the Muslim representation is extremely superficial. Since Fatima appears in hijab on the cover, I expected her religion to be part of the story, but she and her brother could have been written as any other race or religion without their characters changing at all. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since plenty of culturally Mulism teenagers aren't notably different from their peers, but the hijab's prominence of the cover will make many readers hope for more.
I was going to recommend some other middle-grade novel about OCD at the end of this review, but there are too many for that to be practical, which makes me really happy! If you're looking for books with similar mental health representation, feel free to look through my OCD shelf.
informative
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Shannon has always wanted to be an actor, but has been a little too nervous to try out, so she usually ends up doing tech stuff. When the director hears her sing just after auditions, he asks her to try out and she gets a part! This changes the dynamic a bit between Shannon and her two best friends, especially when she gets the role one of her friends wants. While all this is happening, her grandmother moves in with Shannon and her mom, causing more friction. Shannon tries to keep all of this plus her OCD under control, but it ends up being a bit too much at times. Shannon needs to speak up for what she needs before it all gets too far.
I enjoyed this look at OCD because it's a little different than what we might normally think of for symptoms. I also thought it portrayed an interesting family dynamic. My one complaint isI kind of felt like Shannon was a little too hard on Elyse, especially after she was mean to her at the party, and I felt like no one really expressed that to Shannon? It seemed to be a lot of "Elyse is responsible for everything." I would have liked to see some more emphasis to Shannon on her actions at the party and her reaction to Fatima's attempts to go between her and Elyse.
I enjoyed this look at OCD because it's a little different than what we might normally think of for symptoms. I also thought it portrayed an interesting family dynamic. My one complaint is
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
5th & up
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.
I want to preface this with this is very, very middle grade. I appreciate how the novel focuses on Shannon's OCD in a way to normalize it rather than attempt to "solve" it because even by the end of the novel, she is still doing the same rituals and everything else she does with OCD. Others adapt to her rather than her adapting to them. The OCD also wasn't the main plot point, rather, it was typical 12 year old issues of friend drama and family drama and really just Shannon coming out of her shel after being (accidentally?) casted in the musical.
I say this was middle grade because the plot was there but it wasn't a very deep plot, and the pacing is incredibly quick and there are large time gaps in the play. After Shannon gets into a fight with her friend, the novel just moves past like 3 weeks of awkward silence between them. I did like the plot and the subplots in it though, and I appreciated how it showed Shannon's therapy appointments.
I really rated this mostly because it is a great mental health representation, especially for younger readers.
I want to preface this with this is very, very middle grade. I appreciate how the novel focuses on Shannon's OCD in a way to normalize it rather than attempt to "solve" it because even by the end of the novel, she is still doing the same rituals and everything else she does with OCD. Others adapt to her rather than her adapting to them. The OCD also wasn't the main plot point, rather, it was typical 12 year old issues of friend drama and family drama and really just Shannon coming out of her shel after being (accidentally?) casted in the musical.
I say this was middle grade because the plot was there but it wasn't a very deep plot, and the pacing is incredibly quick and there are large time gaps in the play. After Shannon gets into a fight with her friend, the novel just moves past like 3 weeks of awkward silence between them. I did like the plot and the subplots in it though, and I appreciated how it showed Shannon's therapy appointments.
I really rated this mostly because it is a great mental health representation, especially for younger readers.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Well, this was just a delightful read. It involved theatre, so I had a hunch I loved it. What I didn't know is how much I would love Shannon. Shannon is unexpectedly cast in a lead role in The Sound of Music. She's also been more of a "techie," but now she's in the literal spotlight. This is especially challenging with her OCD. However, she decides to take the opportunity she's been given. Shannon was a character I rooted so hard for and adored. The story also explores some other challenges Shannon is navigating with relationships. I always love a kid's read with authenticity and heart, and this was absolutely that. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this April 2023 release!