Not Starring Zadie Louise

Joy McCullough

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN:
  9781534496255
• Print ISBN:
  9781534496248

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Chapter 1: No Gravity
• Chapter 2: No Special Considerations
• Chapter 3: No Climbing on the Lighting Grid
• Chapter 4: No Quitting an Audition Partway Through
• Chapter 5: No Complaining About the Size of Your Role
• Chapter 6: No Kids Allowed in the Booth
• Chapter 7: Stay Hydrated
• Chapter 8: Assume the Director Is Always Watching
• Chapter 9: Don’t Touch Someone Else’s Prop
• Chapter 10: Don’t Eat in Costume
• Chapter 11: Pay Attention
• Chapter 12: Take Responsibility
• Chapter 13: Follow Direction
• Chapter 14: Don’t Steal Focus
• Chapter 15: Respect Each Other’s Dressing Spaces
• Chapter 16: Just Don’t
• Chapter 17: Get Enough Rest
• Chapter 18: Acting Is Reacting
• Chapter 19: Fix Your Mistakes
• Chapter 20: The Show Must Go On
• Chapter 21: Speak Clearly
• Chapter 22: Work Together
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright