"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." —The Horn Book Magazine
10/01/2023
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
2023-09-09
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)