Hertz, Kellen. Tenney in the Key of Friendship. (American Girl series).

Hertz, Kellen.  Tenney in the Key of Friendship. (American Girl series). Scholastic Press 2017  172p  $9.99 ISBN 978-1-338-11756-1  elem/ms  Realistic Fiction  E-BN

Tennyson Grant has always been called Tenney.  She sings and plays guitar with her family’s country music band.  She wants to become a singer/songwriter, but she is only twelve.  Her parents want to protect her from the heartaches and possible problems of a career in music.  Given the chance to sing lead at a local performance, Tenney discovers she really loves the limelight and her parents see how talented she is.  She gets the chance to audition for a record company, but blows it due to nerves.  Devastated, Tenney settles in to wait, when another opportunity comes as a surprise.
  

The characters are very believable, and conversations and situations ring true.  Tenney is like most young girls who love music and have dreams.  She has parents who both protect and encourage her.  She has been given good grounding.  The song she “writes” is explained in the afterword, and the real composers of it are introduced.  It also rings true for a young songwriter.  This is a great addition to the American Girl series.                 

Summary: New American girl Tenney desires a career as a singer/songwriter.  She is searching for her own voice and is only twelve.  Her big break comes but not quite as expected.  The author writes with an authentic voice and very realistic situations.  Grades 3-8.

Show Business-Fiction                                                                                               --Joan Theal

Brendler, Carol. Radio Girl.

Brendler, Carol.  Radio Girl.  Holiday House    2013  202p  ISBN 978-0-8234-2861-8  ms/jr  VG-BN  Historical fiction

Fourteen-year-old Cece dreams of a career as a radio star.  Her father is a professional sound effects man for The Shadow and other radio serials, so Cece is on the inside track to success.  But she gets off to a bumpy start when her mother adamantly refuses to sign her work papers.  When her father finally comes home, relationships are strained, but Cece is oblivious. Her sights are firmly fixed on her goal, and her single-minded determination to succeed leads to mix-ups and misunderstandings that come to a head in the panic surrounding the 1938 radio broadcast of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds.

An engaging cast of characters make this historical fiction novel an appealing, believable story.  Cece’s drive and ambition are balanced with vulnerability and humor.  Her boy-crazy best friend Bev is funny and capable.  She stands by Cece through thick and thin.  The cameo appearances by radio star Orson Welles provide intriguing glimpses into his career prior to his Hollywood movie fame.

Hopefully, Brendler is penning a sequel.  Readers will want to know what happens next to Cece!       

Summary: Cece’s greatest wish is to be a radio star -- even if she has to go behind her mother’s back to become one!   

Show business-Fiction                                 --Hillary Welliver     

Federle, Tim. Better Nate Than Ever.

Federle, Tim.  Better Nate Than Ever.     Simon & Schuster/ 2013  275p  $16.99  978-1-4424-6091-1  ms/jr  Realistic Fiction      VG   

Thirteen-year-old Nate lives to win a role on ET: The Musical on Broadway.  His best friend Libby encourages him to take a bus to New York City, where he learns that his dream will not be easy to achieve.   With his parents away and big brother Anthony at a track meet, Nate’s chances of escaping Jankburg, Pennsylvania, are excellent.  He has it timed perfectly.  However, he greatly underestimates all of the obstacles he will encounter when he arrives in New York City!  Instead of falling flat on his face, Nate combines his comedic resourcefulness with his creativity and lands a call-back!   Examples of his obstacles include having no formal dance experience, having no formal acting experience and having no parent to sign for him!  Just when he departs the audition dejectedly, his Aunt Heidi appears and signs for him, and he gets a chance to audition.  (Back home, Libby aptly problem-solved his biggest obstacle  by telling Anthony what was transpiring in New York City, and together they found out the whereabouts of the savior Aunt Heidi.)  Armed with a parental figure, Nathan auditions, and he succeeds in getting his callback by acting out every role in the scene! 

Everybody who has a dream that seems to be insurmountable will profit by reading this book!  Nate’s tenacious spirit combines with some luck and some talent to help him bounce back after several rejections.  In the end, there is no end!  The phone call with the decision of a lifetime does not tell the reader whether or not Nathan got the role, and the reader will have to wait for Book Two.  If there is no promise of a second book, readers will be disappointed.  Nevertheless, the New York City adventures combined with Nate’s sense of humor and side comments are certain to entertain!       

Show business – Fiction                   --Martha Squaresky(2), Martha