Starry-Eyed

A lot of teens, during that long journey to finding themselves, take a detour through the theatre or music departments of their schools. For some that detour starts even earlier. For some, a very few exceptionally talented ones, the detour becomes the journey. This collection of sixteen sparkling young-adult short stories shines a spotlight on where that detour takes some of these talented kids. The stories look at the unending preparation, fierce competition, the highs of winning that callback and the lows of not making the cut. Some are singers, some actors, filmmakers, pianists, triple threats – they are represented here. And the readers become privy to the weaknesses – from debilitating stage fright to out-of-control egos – and the strengths that carry some through gut-wrenching experiences. Each story is accompanied by a short essay about a real person who traveled these roads and found success at the end.

This is a fine collection, well-chosen stories and essays, gathered by editors Ted Michael and Josh Pultz. Anyone interested in performing arts will enjoy reading these smart, realistic stories, but young people on the performing arts journey will particularly connect to them and enjoy them.