Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan - ESSENTIAL

Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan,  248 pages. Running Press Kids (Hachette) 2018. $16.99.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 'f's); Mature Content: G; Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Lulu has a dream - she wants to perform on Broadway - she has everything: talent, desire - she even lives at the Shubert Theatre! But she is a mouse, and no directors are casting mice (yet?), so instead she helps out the human cast and is part of the show's community. Lulu's closest relationship is with Maya, who is understudy to the child role. But Amanda is so terrible to work with, Maya has given her notice and now Lulu is worried about the new girl. Will she be sweet like Maya or horrible like Amanda? 

Jenna Gavigan knows her stuff! I'm absolutely gushing about this book. Theater geeks will love and identify with the dressing room chatter, pre-show routines, kid wrangling, theater jobs, and superstitions. The novice will appreciate the theater terms quickly defined (parenthetically) and Lulu's great descriptions of the spaces, people and events. Oh my, full of show quotes, dropped names and real restaurants and Broadway theaters! An afterward by Lulu with recommendations for visiting New York City, how to behave at a theater, and ways to get involved if you, like Lulu, have dreams of being a star. I'm gifting this book to several theater kids who will read and re-read this. What a joy! 

Lisa Librarian