Release: March 16th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, Kobo, TBD,
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A shy seventh-grader learns to step into the spotlight in this heartwarming middle-grade novel by acclaimed author Diana Harmon Asher.
To begin with, Shira Gordon is painfully shy. She rarely speaks and blushes at everything. And yet, when she’s alone in her room, she’ll sing and dance, dreaming she was different. So when her best friend forces her to audition for their school’s production of The Music Man, she’s mostly hoping for the cancellation of the play . . but a tiny part of her hopes she’ll get in.
And she does as a member of the barbershop quartet. Playing a dude with a mustache is not exactly her dream role, but Shira is surprised by how much she loves rehearsing with her quirky new friends. When her teacher asks her to understudy the lead role, Marian the Librarian, she reluctantly accepts.
It’s not easy to understudy Monica Manley, an eighth-grade diva who will not be upstaged. And things get even more complicated when a mysterious prankster starts playing tricks on Monica, and Shira’s crush joins the cast. But something keeps Shira going, and it might just be Marian herself. Sure, Marian is a leading lady, but she’s also lonely . . . and shy. And if a star can be shy, then maybe, just maybe, a shy person can be a star.
About the Author:
Diana Harmon Asher is the author of Sidetracked, an ABA Indies Introduce Book and an ALA Notable Children’s Book. She is the mother of three sons and is deeply immersed in reading and writing programs at the Children’s Village and Blythedale Children’s Hospital, both in Westchester, New York.
Upstaged Review:
As someone who loves musicals, I adored Upstaged and found it a charming middle-grade novel.
The author wrote the characters very nicely. She describes the characters and the plot in a personal manner that makes you easily connect with them. Moreover, she brings the life of the theatre in an energetic yet realistic way. I could feel the rush of excitement and urgency as the cast got closer to their performance. Although I have never seen “The Music Man,” I enjoyed how the author brought the musical to life in the plot. After reading the story, I surely want to watch the play’s rendition.
Most of the characters shine in the story and are entertaining. Shira is excellent in the lead. She is shy and hates attention but has lovely friends, like Cassie, Paul, and her barbershop quartet, who root for her. I loved how the author describes the perfect pitch simply and effectively through Shira. Similarly, Monica is devious in the negative role and one of those mean girls you love to hate. For some reason, I also found Sophie hilarious, and I wished to see more of her. On a side note, I also enjoyed the side storyline as to who the “Blue Marauder” was.
However, while I loved everything about the story, I thought Ms. Channing’s character was a tad out of place. It felt as though she just came for a few chapters and disappeared. In my opinion, she was a character who did not make any difference to the storyline with her presence.
Apart from that, this was an adorable middle-grade novel that I enjoyed.
