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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
As an adult who has suffered from OCD since childhood, I absolutely loved Shannon in the Spotlight. It’s a realistic, cute, and ultimately light-hearted (though imbued with serious themes) middle-grade book. This is the first book featuring OCD that I’ve read and I love the representation. I also love the Muslim and POC rep present. It’s short and sweet and I would definitely recommend it!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
emotional
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:
Yes
I REALLY enjoyed this. I picked this up because a) I love theatre books and b) I'm currently reading so much grad school stuff that I can't read anything heavier, and middle grade books are really hitting that sweet spot right now. I was hoping for something basic and palatable, but this was genuinely great instead! Unlike some middle grade books about theatre, this one clearly had an author that was familiar with how theatre works (sad to say, this is very much not always the case). It really made the theatre elements feel familiar and fun, and wonderfully, far more integrated into the plot than many "theatre novels" end up being. (Also, YES, kids doing musical theatre that is appropriate for their voices and age! Not doing Phantom or Wicked or something, which is HUGELY inappropriate for young voices to attempt! YES THIS IS A PERSONAL IRRITATION AND I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR IT.)
I ADORED all of these characters. Shannon is an absolute sweetheart of a person, who has flaws, but you root for her no matter what. Elise and Fatima were very fleshed out as her two closest friends, and you could feel the pain of the argument between Elise and Shannon (which felt very realistic for middle schoolers, though there was one particular element of their fight that I wish had been given a little more foundation throughout the book). Micah is adorable and a good "romantic interest" - even if I wish he had been allowed to just be a really good new friend, because the "romance" just felt unnecessary in some ways. Despite that, it wasn't overwhelming and it did NOT take away from the main plots, so I'll give it a pass even if I deep-sighed.
The grandmother and mom are really interesting, and I'm glad that the conflict between them was not Resolved by the end of the book; they aren't fixed, they don't suddenly become the closest family members ever, they just shift their conflict. I thought that was very realistic; sometimes, in middle grade, there is a push towards resolving EVERY conflict perfectly (understandably! this is for kids, and kids deserve happy endings!), and I appreciated that the author recognized that a change in the conflict is resolution enough for the story but not for the relationship itself. I think it models for kids how there can be changes that don't completely fix a problem, but makes things better. Kids deserve happy endings, but they also deserve to know that there can be gradations in what makes a happy ending.
Finally, I liked the mental health rep in here. Shannon has OCD (as does the author - this is #OwnVoices) but interestingly, her OCD is not the main driver of the conflicts in this book. While her OCD creates challenges for her, and her working on exposure therapy is a major part of the book, it is not the main challenge that Shannon is facing. This could very easily have been a book about how OCD can make doing theatre really hard. I was excited that the author instead wanted to explore how friendship and family can make doing theatre difficult, and OCD also adds some additional challenges to all of that from time to time. I loved that. I made OCD feel more normed, which I can only imagine will be a huge comfort to kids with OCD. It's also great for kids without OCD to read: that Shannon is a regular kid, who has a regular life, and also goes to therapy and has unique challenges that other kids may not have. I think this was best exemplified by the only big OCD-theatre conflict (which came up at the very end) being resolved in just a few quick sentences because the conflict didn't need to be the Big Conflict. I absolutely loved it.
This was such a great book, and I'm glad I picked it up.
I ADORED all of these characters. Shannon is an absolute sweetheart of a person, who has flaws, but you root for her no matter what. Elise and Fatima were very fleshed out as her two closest friends, and you could feel the pain of the argument between Elise and Shannon (which felt very realistic for middle schoolers, though there was one particular element of their fight that I wish had been given a little more foundation throughout the book). Micah is adorable and a good "romantic interest" - even if I wish he had been allowed to just be a really good new friend, because the "romance" just felt unnecessary in some ways. Despite that, it wasn't overwhelming and it did NOT take away from the main plots, so I'll give it a pass even if I deep-sighed.
The grandmother and mom are really interesting, and I'm glad that the conflict between them was not Resolved by the end of the book; they aren't fixed, they don't suddenly become the closest family members ever, they just shift their conflict. I thought that was very realistic; sometimes, in middle grade, there is a push towards resolving EVERY conflict perfectly (understandably! this is for kids, and kids deserve happy endings!), and I appreciated that the author recognized that a change in the conflict is resolution enough for the story but not for the relationship itself. I think it models for kids how there can be changes that don't completely fix a problem, but makes things better. Kids deserve happy endings, but they also deserve to know that there can be gradations in what makes a happy ending.
Finally, I liked the mental health rep in here. Shannon has OCD (as does the author - this is #OwnVoices) but interestingly, her OCD is not the main driver of the conflicts in this book. While her OCD creates challenges for her, and her working on exposure therapy is a major part of the book, it is not the main challenge that Shannon is facing. This could very easily have been a book about how OCD can make doing theatre really hard. I was excited that the author instead wanted to explore how friendship and family can make doing theatre difficult, and OCD also adds some additional challenges to all of that from time to time. I loved that. I made OCD feel more normed, which I can only imagine will be a huge comfort to kids with OCD. It's also great for kids without OCD to read: that Shannon is a regular kid, who has a regular life, and also goes to therapy and has unique challenges that other kids may not have. I think this was best exemplified by the only big OCD-theatre conflict (which came up at the very end) being resolved in just a few quick sentences because the conflict didn't need to be the Big Conflict. I absolutely loved it.
This was such a great book, and I'm glad I picked it up.
emotional
funny
hopeful
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
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 love the characters and dialogue!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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:
Complicated
Shannon in the Spotlight was such a delight to read, primarily because of Shannon herself and how easy it was to empathize with her as she navigated rehearsals, family challenges, therapy, and friend drama over the course of one summer. Kalena Miller does such a wonderful job balancing funny moments and middle school chaos with genuinely poignant scenes about the power of theater and communicating honestly with loved ones. I LOVE musicals, and although I was never a theater kid myself, I loved watching the kids and adults in this book put The Sound of Music together and getting to see glimpses of rehearsals and the tech crew. I highly recommend this book for any young readers! (and adults)
Some nice middle grade realistic fiction with an especially good focus on OCD. The friendship storyline was somewhat less compelling, if still realistic, and Micah's inclusion as a love interest was sweet while also feeling like it was just adding yet another element, in the same way that the last minute show emergencies did. I did particularly appreciate how some of the problems were those which could be resolved neatly within the story while it was made clear that others were things to be managed longterm. Works well as both a mental health story and just one about being a theater-loving middle schooler.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
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:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, author Kalena Miller, and Random House Children's: Delacorte Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
I LOVED this!! I was a theater kid growing up, and this book was such a delight to read for that exact reason!! Shannon was such a relatable narrator, and I loved that Miller really explored the nerves and excitement that come along with stepping into a new role of performance. The representation of Shannon's OCD seemed extremely authentic and was handled with such grace to show how it was just a part of who she was but that it was also okay for her to be working through some of her compulsions in therapy. Much of the storyline deals with Shannon struggling with friend drama, family drama, and first crushes as well, making this an almost perfect coming-of-age story. I say almost perfect because I would have liked to see more from her friends Fatima and Eliza; I feel like they kind of took a backseat to the story at times to just be figures for the drama rather than developed characters. I feel the same in that I wish I saw more bonding between Shannon and her grandmother as well. However, this was one of the most enjoyable and refreshing coming-of-age MG books I've read in a really long time, and I so look forward to reading more of Miller's work!
I LOVED this!! I was a theater kid growing up, and this book was such a delight to read for that exact reason!! Shannon was such a relatable narrator, and I loved that Miller really explored the nerves and excitement that come along with stepping into a new role of performance. The representation of Shannon's OCD seemed extremely authentic and was handled with such grace to show how it was just a part of who she was but that it was also okay for her to be working through some of her compulsions in therapy. Much of the storyline deals with Shannon struggling with friend drama, family drama, and first crushes as well, making this an almost perfect coming-of-age story. I say almost perfect because I would have liked to see more from her friends Fatima and Eliza; I feel like they kind of took a backseat to the story at times to just be figures for the drama rather than developed characters. I feel the same in that I wish I saw more bonding between Shannon and her grandmother as well. However, this was one of the most enjoyable and refreshing coming-of-age MG books I've read in a really long time, and I so look forward to reading more of Miller's work!