DRAMARAMA

A star-struck girl plunges into the crazed world of summer drama camp and tries to cope with friends, love and jealousy in this intense romp through the world of musical theater. Sayde and her best friend Demi, a gay, black, fellow musical fan, see themselves as the outré pariahs of their boring Ohio high school, but find themselves outmatched by the artsy denizens of their new environment. Rivalries rage as students vie for the best roles in the school’s summer productions led by a callous but brilliant Tony-winning director. Jealousies swirl, talent shines and insecurities bloom amid the intense competition, reflected in Lockhart’s zippy prose. The author deftly handles highly varied characterizations and vividly portrays the intense, sparkling and thorny aspects of the theater world. Who will win and who will lose? Anyone with the acting bug will grab this and devour it in one bite. Exhilarating. (Fiction. YA)