Forsooth

September 25, 2023
All the world’s a stage to 13-year-old Catholic theater kid Calvin Conroy—if only he can stop falling off them. His misstep at the climax of Longfellow Middle School’s Cinderella production is a low point for Calvin, who feels that his anxiety constantly foils his dreams of shining in the limelight. Calvin hopes that summer will be a chance to make amends for his stumble to his two best friends, leading lady Kennedy Carmichael and Jonah Franklin, Calvin’s secret crush. But when Calvin learns that Kennedy is leaving for drama school in N.Y.C., he enlists Jonah, confident classmate Maia Ruiz, and intriguing neighbor Blake Richardson to produce a movie about Kennedy’s life in the hopes that it will convince her to stay. A dramatic second-person prologue gives way to Calvin’s sensitive and enthusiastic first-person POV in this funny and joyous ode to creative expression. Matejek-Morris (My Ex-Imaginary Friend) delves into adolescent friendship drama and Calvin’s challenges growing up queer in a religious family, as well as issues of internalized racism, via theatrical hijinks that add levity to the weighty themes. Calvin, Blake, and Kennedy read as white, Maia is Latinx coded, and Jonah is Black and Jewish. Ages 11–14. Agent: Emily Keyes, Keyes Agency.

November 1, 2023
Calvin Conroy dreams of becoming a Broadway star, but when he falls off the stage during the middle school musical, it confirms what he's always known: he's meant to play supporting cast to his best friend, Kennedy, the true star in his life. Then Kennedy reveals she will be attending performing arts school in New York City next year, leaving him to face eighth grade without her. Calvin decides to create a film spectacular enough to convince her to stay. He enlists his neighbor Blake, an aspiring filmmaker and the only person who knows how to soothe Calvin's growing anxiety. Soon, Calvin has yet another thing to worry about -- what his Catholic parents will think about his crushing on another boy. He'll have all summer in church youth choir to think about it, under the watchful eyes of the priest. Calvin's panicky narration is easy to empathize with, giving the reader a front-row seat to his anxiety. Heavier themes are balanced with lightheartedness and references that will delight any theater kid. The topic of religion, in particular -- Catholicism and Judaism, as experienced via a friend's bar mitzvah -- is approached with both humor and thoughtfulness. Calvin's first attempts at romance and sometimes toxic friendships result in a lot of drama, but his showstopping antics are a joy throughout. Bodie Shanis

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 15, 2023
Grades 5-8 Calvin Conroy's performance in Cinderella was the talk of the seventh grade, but not for the reasons he'd hoped. When his bestie Kennedy leaves their Massachusetts town to pursue her own dreams of stardom, Calvin convinces classmates with mixed motivations to stage a video production designed to woo Kennedy home. Calvin gets wooed, too, and the summer opens Calvin's eyes to both his own self-worth and his queer identity, the latter of which sits in direct conflict with his conservative Catholic household. While Calvin's anxiety and stage fright have some comical results--most notably involving a fiery priest--Matejek-Morris (My Ex-imaginary Friend, 2021) gives serious treatment to mental health and the challenges of coming out in a religiously restrictive community. Adorkable Calvin makes impressive growth in self-acceptance, and that plot-driving process benefits from supportive characters working through their own challenges. With its casual Broadway references and theater as a dominant theme, readers with an existing interest in the performing arts will delight in the story, while those less comfortable in the spotlight will enjoy watching Calvin shine. Forsooth!

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2023
Oh no! Theater kid Calvin's bestie is abandoning him for a New York City performing arts school: Would a movie about her life convince her to stay? Seventy-three days after hapless 13-year-old Calvin falls off the stage during Cinderella, he learns his best friend, Kennedy, is leaving. Plus, he sees her and Jonah, his other BFF and secret crush, kissing. Argh! Then new neighbor Blake starts knocking on Calvin's window. While Calvin's controlling, devoutly Catholic mother has concerns about Blake, who's covered in hand-drawn tattoos, Calvin feels drawn to him, and Blake talks him through anxiety attacks. Between the Kennedy movie, church choir, confusing feelings for two boys, and keeping his parents in the dark about, well, everything, Calvin's going to have a summer of drama--forsooth! Calvin's life offers many laugh-out-loud moments, like when he accidentally sets the priest on fire. But the story's core is Calvin's learning how to be a good friend, repair relationships he's broken, cope with anxiety, and be his best self. His anxiety struggles and worries over his parents' discovering his sexuality are sensitively handled. The layered, complex characters struggle with similarly complicated and challenging friendships. A lack of closure about Calvin's crushes may irritate readers, however, and the cover art reads deceptively young. Most main characters are cued white; Jonah is Black and Jewish. A funny and thoughtful exploration of middle school relationships. (author's note, discussion questions) (Fiction. 11-13)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-After an embarrassing fall off stage during the school play, 13-year-old Calvin Conroy is ready for a quiet summer recovering from public humiliation. Then he learns his best friend Kennedy is moving away to attend a prestigious arts school in New York City, and he throws himself and his friends into creating a movie that will hopefully change her plans. Throughout the summer, Calvin must juggle the complicated dynamics of middle school friendships, his parents' expectations and strict rules, his Catholic identity, and his emerging romantic feelings for boys. Although many readers will relate to Calvin's experiences, they may grow weary of the intense focus on Calvin's emotions and relationships with no attention-grabbing plot outside of them. VERDICT Chock-full of theater references, middle school romance, and drama, this book will find fans among so-called "theater kids," but is too niche for a general audience.-Maria Bohan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.