November 2, 2020
Theater people are often superstitious, especially the kids at Beaconville High School, whose drama program’s wing is built on the site of a ruined theater and almost certainly cursed. This makes things harder for junior Melody McIntyre, the youngest stage manager in school history, but she’s up for it. So after the tech crew decides that more things go wrong when Melody’s dating someone, she agrees not to fall in love for the show’s duration, even though she’s the school’s “patron saint of serial monogamy.” But when senior Odile Rose, who’s already acted in films and television, is cast in the spring musical, she and Mel are immediately attracted to each other. Talley (Music from Another World) divides the story into acts and scenes, studding them with funny tech memos, and has fun portraying the details of running tech, the divide between techies and actors, and the teamwork that theater requires. Mel’s efforts to cope with her feelings and stage emergencies make a story that will entertain both true theater geeks and readers who’ve never considered life onstage or backstage. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.