Cut the Lights

February 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Readers are introduced to three different creative teens in this new hi/lo series: a ballet dancer, a theater student, and an aspiring rock star. In Attitude, Australian Cassie is invited to spend the summer at a prestigious ballet academy in Vancouver. Being the new girl, she has a difficult time fitting in. However, when another dancer named Melissa begins to make threats, Cassie becomes afraid of how far Melissa will go in order to stay on top. While the plot is fairly predictable, there is just enough drama between the ballerinas to keep teens interested. Cut the Lights follows Briar, a sophomore who wins a coveted spot as the director of a one-act play at her performing arts school. Unfortunately, Briar soon finds that neither her cast nor her crew are supportive of her vision. As tensions mount, the girl learns about what it takes to be a good leader. Each chapter opens like a play complete with stage directions. Briar's struggles with finding her voice as both a director and a leader will resonate with teens, especially drama students. In Totally Unrelated, Neil has always been a guitarist for his family's band. When his friend Bert convinces him to form a rock band and enter a local talent show, Neil realizes that he wants to be more than just a background player. But when he is forced to choose between the talent show and an important gig with his family, the boy will have to decide what matters more-fame or family. This is a solid story about becoming your own person. Neil is a sympathetic character who readers will root for throughout his journey. These titles are all great choices for younger teens and reluctant readers.-Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Hudson Library & Historical Society, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2013
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* Orca has long dedicated itself to publishing contemporary fiction for reluctant readers, and this entry into the Limelights line is one of its finest offerings. Briar may only be in tenth grade, but she's on the rise at the Whitlock School of the Artsshe's one of seven students chosen to direct a one-act play for the annual Fringe Festival. She's got an ace script (Wish Upon a Star, penned by her bestie), and she's just nabbed the school's top actor, Sonata, away from a senior director. What could possibly keep this from being a totally transformative theatrical experience? Try everything: Sonata is an argumentative diva, Briar's male lead is a lovelorn mope, and her crew second-guesses her at every turn. Krossing has done her research, filling her story with specifics (the prop room, lighting cues, improv games) that any young thespian will recognize. A ticking clockBriar has just four weeks of rehearsallends a level of tension greater than that of many books with higher stakes. Briar herself endures a rich journey, from arrogant auteur enamored of her own vision to a team player who learns that life, and art, sometimes needs to undergo a bit of reblocking, as they say in the biz. An ideal read-alike for Raina Telgemeier's Drama (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)