Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!

August 28, 2017
Teenage actor Wallis knows of what she writes. She sets her perky first novel (publishing simultaneously with a picture book, A Night Out with Mama) at a performing arts elementary school in Atlanta, where best friends Shai Williams and Emmie Harper are preparing to audition for the third-grade musical. Enter Gabby Supreme, a confident new student from Los Angeles, who has acted in a zombie movie and a toothpaste commercial—and is trying out for the same lead role as Shai. Gabby lands the coveted role, Shai is cast as the character’s mother, and she is asked to help Gabby prepare for the performance. Following her grandmother’s advice to find the “courage to be nice to folks who aren’t always nice to you,” Shai rises to the occasion, and the novel and the musical end on upbeat notes. Miller’s b&w cartoons help convey the big emotions at play, and the interactions between Shay, her friends, and her African-American family bring warmth and light humor to this series opener. Ages 6–10. Author’s agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. Illustrator’s agent: Monica Odom, Bradford Literary.

August 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-A lighthearted series starter about an aspiring child actress, cowritten by award-winning actress Wallis. Shai is a third grader at a performing arts school in Atlanta, who learns about patience and empathy when new girl Gabby arrives in her class from Hollywood, CA. With her best friend Emmie, Shai helps Gabby fit in and open up, even overcoming her own jealousy when Gabby is cast in a school play role Shai wanted for herself. This is a mild and pleasant tale of relationship ups and downs, with the bonus of a fun musical theater theme. Without becoming preachy, Shai models healthy attitudes and behaviors. The depiction of her loving, African American, middle-class family and diverse group of classmates is welcome. VERDICT A good choice for readers who enjoy character development more than action.-Heidi Rabinowitz, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2017
Debut author Wallis' series opener, with co-author Ohlin, is a short and sweet early chapter book tackling themes of jealousy and empathy among classmates at Sweet Auburn School for the Performing Arts.African-American Shai Williams aspires to being an actress just like Grandma Rosa and Aunt MacKenzie, aka Aunt Mac-N-Cheese. She has the mutual support of her best friend and fellow Sweet Auburn student, white Emmie. When it is announced that the third-grade musical will be Once on This Island, Shai wants nothing more than to follow in Aunt Mac-N-Cheese's footsteps in the lead role, Ti Moune--but newly relocated SoCal transplant Gabby, also African-American, is cast in the role. When Gabby struggles, teachers ask Shai to help her out. Shai is less than eager to assist but heeds her parents' sage advice to take "the high road." All does not go perfectly, and Gabby does not become Shai's new best friend by the time the play opens, but the hopeful ending is refreshingly realistic and hits the right notes. As Grandma Rosa reminds us "It takes courage to be nice to people who aren't always nice to you." Audiences seeking contemporary beginning chapter-book series are sure to find much appeal in Shai and Emmie's world. (Fiction. 6-9)

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