I'm always happy to spend time in Nate's company. It's not quite as exciting as the other books (I guess I'm a fame-junkie, but getting cast in a Broadway show, and being in a Broadway show, both beat not-doing-a-Broadway-show), but it's fun, funny, gentle, and kind-hearted. I love books to be innately kind-hearted (speaks to the author's character, I imagine), and he was honest enough to include a reference to his own flop Broadway musical (Tuck Everlasting) which had moments of wonderfulness but was often just bewildering and off-putting (I'm sure the authors were to a certain extent hamstrung by the source material). But I still love Nate!

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve! ( )

Even without reading the earlier books I was able to enjoy this one. ( )

Nate has loved everything about being on Broadway, but when his show closes, he must return to the Pittsburgh suburbs his family calls home. He dreads attending public high school, but is surprised to find that it’s not quite what he expected. His Broadway experience seems to have given him a certain amount of... could it be? ... popularity? As he attempts to stage an ambitious musical version of Great Expectations with the help of long-time bestie Libby, he starts to worry that his secret New York City boyfriend is pulling away from him.

A fun ending to Federle’s Nate series. Though Nate is a little older than he was in the first book, the tone and content are still appropriate for upper elementary and middle school readers. I thought the character development was lacking a bit, especially concerning a certain new relationship, where I just didn’t feel any emotional connection. Still, I’d recommend this to readers who enjoyed the first two books. ( )