Dramarama » (Bargain)

E. Lockhart is the author of The Boyfriend List, Fly on the Wall, and The Boy Book. She once portrayed both Peter Quince and a tree in a drama school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, wearing an electric-blue unitard. Her theatrical career ended soon after.

Two theater-mad, self-invented

fabulositon Ohio teenagers.

One boy, one girl.

One gay, one straight.

One black, one white.

And SUMMER DRAMA CAMP.

It's a season of hormones,

gold lame,

hissy fits,

jazz hands,

song and dance,

true love,

and unitards

that will determine their future

—and test their friendship.

KLIATT

Desperate to escape their town in Ohio, the narrator Sadye and her best friend Demi audition for a summer drama camp; they are accepted, and the drama that follows will be highly entertaining (and informative) to any YA reader interested in the theater. Demi is gay, extremely talented, and desperate to fall in love. Sadye (previously known as Sarah) doesn't have Demi's talent, but she is a pretty good dancer and is smart, smart, smart. Too smart, one might ask? She actually questions her directors' choices and suggests alternatives. Since directors are sort of like gods in this arena, Sadye's attitude isn't welcome. You might expect some sort of formulaic plot in which Sadye is transformed and becomes a big star—well, if you do, you would be surprised at how Lockhart works things out for Sadye. Lockhart has her own experience of drama camp and this lends an authentic voice to the proceedings, which include details of characters, scenes, lines, and staging. The other campers, some professional actors already, are a sharp contrast to Sadye and Demi and their provincial background in small-town USA. While this story is entertaining above all else, it does demand a certain sophistication on the part of its YA readers. Reviewer: Claire Rosser