January 15, 2021
Grades 9-12 Nebraska-born Mazie dreams of being an actress on Broadway, far from the small-town life she's had. When tragedy strikes, she has a sudden opportunity to head to New York City on her own and take a chance at her dream. Once there, she's amazed by the city's bustle and is soon overwhelmed by loneliness and the constant rejections of parts due to her "straight off the farm" appearance. Luckily, right before her money runs out, Mazie lands a role in a show traveling through the Midwest, and it's during this run that she learns what's important and begins coming into her own. Crowder's latest is an inspirational story of bravery and confidence, following an easily charming heroine. Readers will be swept away to the 1950s and a post-war Broadway scene alongside Mazie as she leaves everything that she's known, journeying to a new city to chase her acting dreams. Entertaining and heartfelt.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
February 1, 2021
Gr 7 Up-In 1959, white 17-year-old Mazie Butterfield is a farmer's daughter with dreams of Broadway. Growing up, Mazie let everyone know her future was in New York City. But when her chance to follow that dream suddenly appears, she is confronted with the loss of everything she took for granted: her family, her close-knit small town, and her loving boyfriend. Once in New York, Mazie gets her first taste of city life and show business, neither of which match her lofty expectations. With her savings quickly dwindling, she hops from audition to audition looking for her big break and finding loneliness, doubt, and insecurity instead. As the teen continues on her path, she discovers the world is larger than she ever knew and slowly finds her own place in it. Readers get a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a struggling young actress and the hard work that goes into putting on a live show. The plot may not be the most original, but Mazie's authenticity makes this novel stand out. Strip away the theater and you have a young girl trying to find her identity and determining how she wants the world to see her-a universal theme regardless of the century. VERDICT Recommended for all collections, especially where theater is popular.-Cathy DeCampli, Haddonfield P.L., NJ
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2021
In 1959, seventeen-year-old Mazie suddenly finds herself with the funds to leave Nebraska and spend six weeks in New York City pursuing her Broadway dreams. At first she's overwhelmed and lonely, living in the big city at a boardinghouse for "theatrical young ladies" and learning the auditioning ropes. Repeated rejections make her question her singing and dancing talents, not to mention her appearance ("I come from...solid Nebraska stock"). Crowder's novel takes readers on an enjoyable trip back to a golden age in theater, providing an inside look at the business while name-dropping hit songs and shows and introducing readers to a little-known piece of history: industrial musicals, shows sponsored by companies to advertise their products. In her last week in the city, Mazie finally lands an understudy role in an "industrial" traveling across the Corn Belt to promote a new tractor. During the ten-show run, she winds up with the lead, gets to visit her family (and former boyfriend), and learns about herself and what really matters in life. Crowder believably weaves in complicated romance -- for both the protagonist and a few queer secondary characters -- but the focus is on Mazie's determination to prove to herself and others that she's got what it takes to succeed, an inspiring example for anyone with a similar dream. Cynthia K. Ritter
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from December 15, 2020
In 1959, the star soloist of her small Nebraska farm town leaves everything behind for a chance at musical-theater stardom in New York City. Triple-threat high school senior Mazie Butterfield dreams of getting out of Fairbury and breaking into Broadway even if it means bidding farewell to her loving family and serious boyfriend, Jesse. When an unexpected graduation gift offers enough money for a train ticket and six weeks in the city, Mazie hurriedly takes off for a bed in a "boardinghouse for theatrical young ladies" run by Mrs. Cooper, a Black former Broadway dancer. Mazie quickly falls into a repetitive cycle of auditions and rejections, and although she's disheartened to be deemed too sturdy, Midwestern, and plain for most parts, she eventually scores an understudy gig for an "industrial" (a corporate-sponsored, limited-run musical) touring the Corn Belt to promote a new tractor model. Throughout the story, White, sheltered Mazie uncovers some truths about life in the arts, such as that several male counterparts are gay, that married women with children have trouble returning to the business, and that certain producers and directors sexually harass and intimidate the women in their shows. Filled with Broadway trivia, the book is a dream for musical theater fans, and the love story between Mazie and Jesse is heartfelt. The characters, including secondary ones, are well developed and fully realized, and the book features noteworthy queer representation. Deserves a standing ovation. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-18)
COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 1, 2021
In 1959, seventeen-year-old Mazie suddenly finds herself with the funds to leave Nebraska and spend six weeks in New York City pursuing her Broadway dreams. At first she's overwhelmed and lonely, living in the big city at a boardinghouse for "theatrical young ladies" and learning the auditioning ropes. Repeated rejections make her question her singing and dancing talents, not to mention her appearance ("I come from...solid Nebraska stock"). Crowder's novel takes readers on an enjoyable trip back to a golden age in theater, providing an inside look at the business while name-dropping hit songs and shows and introducing readers to a little-known piece of history: industrial musicals, shows sponsored by companies to advertise their products. In her last week in the city, Mazie finally lands an understudy role in an "industrial" traveling across the Corn Belt to promote a new tractor. During the ten-show run, she winds up with the lead, gets to visit her family (and former boyfriend), and learns about herself and what really matters in life. Crowder believably weaves in complicated romance -- for both the protagonist and a few queer secondary characters -- but the focus is on Mazie's determination to prove to herself and others that she's got what it takes to succeed, an inspiring example for anyone with a similar dream.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)