Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

Starred review from November 4, 2013
This sequel to Federle’s charming debut, Better Nate Than Ever, finds 13-year-old Nate Foster with a part on Broadway in E.T.: The Musical. Arriving from small-town Pennsylvania, Nate is ready to have his horizons expanded, but not every new experience delights: power struggles and personality clashes add pressure to the fast-tracked rehearsal schedule. (The territory disputes remind Nate of a “junior high school cafeteria but with more glitter.”) He must also make peace with his own diminishing role: the choreographers have no use for a pudgy kid who can’t dance, and it turns out Nate isn’t E.T.’s understudy, he’s E.T.’s understudy’s understudy. Readers learn a bit more about Aunt Heidi, but Nate’s parents remain offstage, and best friend Libby appears mostly on Skype, often with bad news about her mother’s health. Even the large, colorful cast of the show can’t deprive Nate of the spotlight in this funny, tender coming-of-age story, which doubles as an insider account about growing up on stage that will appeal to every budding theater geek. Encore! Ages 10–14. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Starred review from November 15, 2013
Goodbye, Jankburg...hello, Broadway! Thirteen-year-old Nate Foster is back (Better Nate Than Ever, 2013) in all his hilarious, vulnerable and heartwarming glory and headed "home" to the Great White Way. Cast as Alien Number Seven and the understudy to E.T.'s understudy in the hotly anticipated E.T.: The Musical, Nate is prepared to do whatever it takes to make his dreams come true--even if it means a lot more cardio than he'd ever imagined. Nate navigates the rocky terrain of pushy child stars, stage momzillas and secret admirers with a wit and charm well beyond his years. Readers of the first book will be delighted at the continuation of Nate's practice of substituting names of Broadway flops as swearwords, which he kindly explains for the uninitiated. While humor is clearly one of Federle's strengths, what sets this novel apart is how beautifully he explores Nate's vulnerabilities, particularly with regard to his sexuality, his family and his own self-esteem. Lines such as, "I never sit when I'm on the phone with Dad, because it's the only time I get to practice what it feels like to stand up to him," speak volumes about Nate and will surely resonate with any reader who has ever felt out of place in his own home...or in his own skin. Nate will sing and dance his way right into readers' hearts. This is an encore performance that will leave them standing in the aisles. (Fiction. 9-14)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-In this encore to Better Nate Than Ever (S & S, 2013), small-town theater geek Nate Foster finds himself in New York City after landing an understudy part in E.T.: The Musical. Everything he's ever studied, including practicing his own autograph, has prepared him for this. From hiding from bullies in the boys' bathroom in the first book, Nate has moved on to more grown-up problems-his voice decides to change during his solo tryout and he's dealing with secret admirers. He backs up all of his emotions and each action with a musical soliloquy, quoting from plays, scripts, and Tony-winning shows. But everything is not all glitz and mirrored disco balls, as he soon learns. Conversations with Libby, his best friend back home, keep him grounded. Everyone could use a little more glitter in their lives, and Nate shares his with those who are willing to celebrate that being an understudy can one day earn you top billing.-Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2013
Grades 5-8 In his Better Nate Than Ever (2013) premiere, eighth-grader Nate Foster beat the odds to land a small part in ET: The Musical. Now, act 2 of his adventures begins as he prepares to leave Nowheresville, PA, behind for Broadway. As an understudy without much experience outside of his own dreams, Nate is self-conscious and insecure about life on the Great White Way, especially since the star of the show is one of the richest, most talented, and best looking guys from his same small town. But he's also determined, and with the support of his best friend, who is just a text message away, and his aunt, who is the only one in his family who understands him, Nate presses on through the comedy, drama, and romance of five weeks of rehearsalsright to the tragedy and triumph of opening night. Readers will cheer Nate along while also relating to him because, as Nate sagely observes, Broadway is just like a junior high school cafeteria but with more glitter. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)