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The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books |
| The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly
theme-based booklist available as an online-only Bulletin
feature. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin,
we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an
extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even
dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We
ask only that you cite the source. See the archive
for
lists
from previous months.
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All the World's a Stage:
Whether it’s the glare of the
lights, the energy
from the audience, or the slightly itchy but entrancing costumes, once
the
curtain rises we find ourselves transported to worlds unknown. This
month’s
dozen allows you to transport yourself into the magical and wondrous
world of
drama, both onstage and backstage. Fall is the perfect time to check
out live
theater so join the shows already in progress in this month’s dozen. |
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Blubaugh,
Penny. Blood & Flowers. HarperTeen,
2011. Gr. 8-10.
After running away from her
drug-addled parents,
Persia finds a loving home with the Outlaw Puppet Troupe, an
underground
theater company made up of misfit faeries and humans, but her new life
is
threatened when the troupe is forced to flee to the realm of Faerie.
(BCCB 3/11)
Creech, Sharon. Replay. Joanna
Cotler Books, 2005. Gr. 3-6.
When he earns the role of the ‘old
crone’ in his school
play, Leo finds that preparing for this role means looking deeper into
his
father’s youth and discovers that the power of theater lies in
imagining other
people’s experiences. (BCCB 11/05)
Flinn,
Alex. Diva. HarperTeen,
2006. Gr. 7-10.
Caitlin
needs to escape the constant
presence of her abusive ex-boyfriend Nick, who still attends her high
school,
and find her voice again. Her dream of becoming an opera singer becomes
one
step closer when she auditions and is accepted into the musical theater program
at the Miami High School of the Arts. (BCCB 2/07)
Golding,
Julia. The Diamond of Drury Lane.
Roaring
Brook, 2008. Gr. 4–7.
Living in the Drury Lane
Theater in 1790s London
stirs up drama and adventure for thirteen-year old Catherine “Cat”
Royal when
she is caught eavesdropping on her guardian, who is discussing a
diamond hidden
on the premises that must be kept secret at all costs. (BCCB 9/08)
Green, John & Levithan,
David. Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
Dutton,
2010. Gr. 9-12.
Will Grayson’s best
friend Tiny Cooper is on a mission: to write and perform a heart
stopping
autobiographical musical that makes the world better and use his
matchmaking
powers to set up his best friend with the perfect girl. In an amazing
turn of
events, Will Grayson crosses paths with another teen named Will
Grayson, who
begins dating Tiny, and their lives connect in new and twisted ways.
(BCCB 5/10)
Hoffman, Mary. Amazing Grace.
Pictures by Caroline Binch. Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991. Ages
4-8
yrs.
Graces loves acting out
stories and is excited to
try out for the lead in her class’s performance of Peter
Pan. But when her classmates tell her she can’t be Peter Pan
because she is African American and a girl, Grace is crushed and seeks
out
guidance from her mother and grandmother, who help her see she can be
anything
she wants to be. (BCCB 9/92)
Kathleen, Karr. Gilbert &
Sullivan Set Me Free. Hyperion Books for Children, 2003. Gr.
7-10.
As the youngest inmate in Massachusetts'
Sherborn Prison for Women in 1914, Lily Dodge leads as miserable life.
But when
she earns the lead role in the performance of The Pirates of
Penzance, under the guidance of the chaplain, Mrs.
Wilkinson, she finds hope and an inner strength to look
beyond
the walls of the prison to a new future. (BCCB 9/03)
Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent
Year: a Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park. Dial
Books, 2008. Gr. 8-10.
Three high school juniors
reflect on their experiences as freshmen in a coming of age story that
combines
the worlds of baseball, musical theater, and social activism. In their
landmark
freshman year Alejandra, Augie, and T.C. struggle with love, loss, and
friendship, but in the process discover who they are and where they
belong. (BCCB 3/08)
Messner, Kate. Marty McGuire.
Illus. by Brian Floca. Scholastic Press, 2011. Gr. 2-4.
Marty is a tomboy who
enjoys science and finding frogs in a third grade class obsessed with
fluffy
princesses. Her life is turned upside down when she is assigned the
role of the
princess in her class’s production of The
Frog Prince. (BCCB 6/11)
Lockhart, E. Dramarama. Hyperion,
2007. Gr. 9-12.
United by their love of
musical theater, Sayde and Demi are kindred souls until they head to a
performing arts camp where Sayde is stuck in the ensemble while Demi
becomes
the rising star, and the bonds that connect them start to fray. (BCCB
9/07)
Schwartz, Amy. Starring Miss Darlene. Roaring Brook Press, 2007. Ages
5-9 yrs.
When Miss Darlene, a lovely
hippo, takes a theater
class, things go from bad to worse when she takes the stage and
proceeds to
pour water on the audience, flub her lines, and sleep through her cues.
(BCCB 9/07)
Wilkinson, Lili. Pink. HarperTeen, 2011.
Gr. 9-12.
Ava is looking to reinvent
herself from her
Goth-lesbian identity and learn what it feels like to wear pink, so she
transfers to a private school and joins the school musical’s stage
crew. Torn
between the worlds of her antiestablishment
parents and cynical
girlfriend and her new mainstream friends at school, Ava finds her own
way to
be herself. (BCCB 1/11)
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This page was last updated on September 1, 2012.