About the Book:
Sally loves musical theatre and dreams of a career on Broadway. Living near a theatre with her dad, she can practically see her dreams come true.
Writing her own musical is Sally’s first step to a life of fame. It’s so annoying that friends and family KEEP hinting that maybe her musical is not really about a lonely frog, but actually about her own life. She’s sure no one ever said that to Lin-Manuel Miranda!
Armed with new skills from a course packed with main-cast-energy theatre kids, Sally is ready to take her show public. Will her performance prove to her friends that she’s over any problems? The show must go on, after all.
Find on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org UK (affiliate link).
About the Author:
MÉABH COLLINS is a writer from Dublin. She holds an M.Phil in Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in English Literature. In recent years, she has worked as a primary school teacher and in children’s and Irish-language publishing. She lives in Dublin with her family and their well-dressed rescue greyhound.
Interview
Pitch your book in 10 words!
Aspiring Broadway actor stops at nothing to achieve her dreams!
Sally adores musicals but not everyone understands this, though she has some amazingly supportive teachers. Why do you think it’s so important we celebrate passion in fiction for teens?
Because so much important identity formation happens during our teen years. Our interests and hobbies can have a huge impact on how we understand ourselves and our place in the world. The teen years can also be a time when we become hyper-aware of how others see us, and sometimes we try so hard to blend in with others that we hide our true selves. This book is a celebration of unapologetically LOVING what you love!
What prompted you to have musicals as Sally’s passion?
It came quite naturally. I knew that Sally was a larger-than-life kind of character, and a desire to perform on stage suited her.
Sally is a bold, seemingly confident teenager, which is not such a common archetype for girls in fiction. Why did you want to explore this sort of character?
Sally is quite refreshing in that she’s very pleasantly, very honestly her full self. She’s not very self-aware, which possibly protects her (and sometimes works against her). I really enjoyed following her lead while I was writing, as she is the kind of character who says and does exactly what she wants, no filter. (Again, this sometimes works against her…!)
The other students on the camp are a colourful lot. Do you have a favourite among them?
I love them all in their own ways! I love Jade for her kindness and sense of humour. Lawrence is mildly sassy, which I appreciate, while Adam is very sweet and good-natured. Saoirse is a proud Irish speaker, which I love, and Allison… well, I think she’s a good person who still has some growing up to do. I worry a bit about Allison because she’s so young, yet puts so much pressure on herself.
Throughout the book we see Sally’s relationship maternal grandmother mature. It’s a really complex relationship and doesn’t fit the mould of “traditional” grandmother-grandchild relationships (such as the homely, often magical, cottage-core granny). What drew you to explore this sort of relationship?
I loved the idea of a “Career Woman” granny. You don’t see it enough! Also, I look at the older women in my own life, who are in their 60s and 70s, and there is nothing remotely cottage-core about them. They’re stylish, sophisticated, funny, and wise. Also, I needed to show that, confident as she might seem on the surface, Sally is insecure about her talent and other things, just like anyone else. Having her granny’s success looming over her allowed me to show Sally’s more vulnerable side. I also wanted to show a prickly relationship soften over time. In the end, both characters let their guard down a little, and it allows room for a really special relationship to grow.
If you were in the musical theatre camp, what song would you perform?
On My Own from Les Miserables.
This is a book about so many things: grief, ambitions, friendships. What’s one thing you hope readers take from it?
That pursuing the thing you love, simply because you love it, is always worth it. You don’t need to make a career out of it, and that might spoil things anyway because of the pressure it would put on you. Follow your heart, don’t be afraid to ask for help, be kind to others.
Please recommend a UKYA book you think readers will love.
ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT* by Méabh McDonnell (fun romance with mouth-watering baking references sprinkled throughout!)
Thank you, Méabh!
*Affiliate link
#UKYASpotlight 
Leave a comment