“Dramarama” by E. Lockhart

I should have written this book. It is, essentially, pages from my diary. Because it hit so close to home that I can’t truly say if it was well-written or not, but I sense it was “decent” teen fare without the brilliance of one of her newer books, “The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks”. Once again, the setting is an exclusive school and the characters are fairly literate older teens. This time, the setting is a theatre summer camp and the characters are wanna-be stars. Sarah Paulson, awkward, lonely and bored with her suburban existence, makes a friend with the closeted gay teen, Demi. Demi is a black boy in a white world who has perfected the ability to disappear into the high school world of faded jeans and noncommittal sports shirts. Sarah and Demi both apply and get into a summer arts program akin to Interlochen. Once there, they experience the powerful ups and downs associated with theatre. Sarah, redubbed as “Sadye” falls in love with the rush, struggles with the competition and aches to find a place to belong. She is a newbie in this atmosphere and makes many missteps. The reader is left to wonder whether her opinions, correct but disruptive, should be voiced or not. It is a dilemma faced not only by me and many teens, but by those at HBW, who are encouraged to speak out, even when doing so makes others uncomfortable. I find some private joy in a resolution that encourages being your own person, a theme common in these types of books. To Ms. Lockhart’s credit, she sticks to the reality of the situation, and relationships don’t always develop as you would wish. The nice thing about her books, and her strong-willed protagonists, is that they live with the consequences of their actions. I liked this book and see it as having fairly wide appeal for any kid who lives and breathes the theatre ‘thang. I recommend it for a fast, fun read.