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Not Starring Zadie Louise
Table of Contents
About The Book
In this “entertaining and moving” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Tim Federle and Gordon Korman, Zadie is determined to spend the summer helping at the community theater—but things go hilariously awry!
Zadie loves Tae Kwon Do, comic books, and outer space. She also loves visiting the community theater that her mom runs, especially the lighting grid over the stage and the stage manager’s booth, which is filled with levers and buttons like a spaceship control panel. So when the family’s finances suffer a blow and Zadie has to give up her usual activities to spend the summer at the theater, she doesn’t mind too much. After all, she’s always wanted to tech a show.
She knows she’d be great at it, but her mom and the new stage manager are totally opposed to the idea of having a kid do tech. Instead, Zadie’s stuck handing out snacks and folding flyers. But the future of the theater rides on this show, and Zadie is determined to help. She’s going to make Spinderella the hit of the season—unless she accidentally turns it into a disaster.
Zadie loves Tae Kwon Do, comic books, and outer space. She also loves visiting the community theater that her mom runs, especially the lighting grid over the stage and the stage manager’s booth, which is filled with levers and buttons like a spaceship control panel. So when the family’s finances suffer a blow and Zadie has to give up her usual activities to spend the summer at the theater, she doesn’t mind too much. After all, she’s always wanted to tech a show.
She knows she’d be great at it, but her mom and the new stage manager are totally opposed to the idea of having a kid do tech. Instead, Zadie’s stuck handing out snacks and folding flyers. But the future of the theater rides on this show, and Zadie is determined to help. She’s going to make Spinderella the hit of the season—unless she accidentally turns it into a disaster.
Excerpt
Chapter 1: No Gravity
1 No Gravity
These are the most cosmically awesome places at my mom’s theater:
The lighting grid, where I pretend I’m an alien, studying the bizarre behavior of the earthlings below. (And I tell you what: actors might as well be a whole other species.)
The trapdoor, but really the hidden space underneath the trapdoor, where it sounds like a rocket ship heading into orbit when a bunch of kids clomp across the stage up above.
The stage manager’s booth, with more screens and switches than the control panel at the International Space Station, where I’ve never been but will go someday.
And this is the absolute-no-doubt-about-it least cosmically awesome place in the Bainbridge Youth Theater:
The stage.
1 No Gravity
These are the most cosmically awesome places at my mom’s theater:
The lighting grid, where I pretend I’m an alien, studying the bizarre behavior of the earthlings below. (And I tell you what: actors might as well be a whole other species.)
The trapdoor, but really the hidden space underneath the trapdoor, where it sounds like a rocket ship heading into orbit when a bunch of kids clomp across the stage up above.
The stage manager’s booth, with more screens and switches than the control panel at the International Space Station, where I’ve never been but will go someday.
And this is the absolute-no-doubt-about-it least cosmically awesome place in the Bainbridge Youth Theater:
The stage.
About The Author
Photograph © Joy McCullough-Carranza
Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of the middle grade novels Across the Pond, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Not Starring Zadie Louise, Code Red, and Basil & Dahlia and the picture books Harriet’s Ruffled Feathers, Champ and Major: First Dogs, and The Story of a Book. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (June 21, 2022)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781534496231
- Grades: 3 and up
- Ages: 8 - 99
- Lexile ® 800L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®
- Fountas & Pinnell™ W These books have been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System
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Raves and Reviews
"McCullough adeptly gives voice to a plucky, STEM-focused bicultural girl growing up in an intergenerational family whose members work through their problems together. . . An entertaining and moving story about family, friendship, and finding your place."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Employing Beezus and Ramona–like family dynamics surrounding financial worries, sibling spats, and a significant transition involving a beloved family member, McCullough writes a relatable fish-out-of-water story, centering themes of passion and perseverance amid life change."
– Publishers Weekly
Awards and Honors
- Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (OK)
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Not Starring Zadie Louise Hardcover 9781534496231
- Author Photo (jpg): Joy McCullough Photograph © Joy McCullough-Carranza(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
