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    You are here: Home / Books / Break a Leg! Books about Theater for 8-13 Year Olds

     

    Break a Leg! Books about Theater for 8-13 Year Olds

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    You don't need to have a tween who loves the spotlight in order for them to love these middle grade books about theater! Even if your children would rather be in the audience than up on the stage, they will get sucked into the comedy and drama of stories about kids who yearn to perform or get involved in backstage antics.

    collage of books about the theater with text overlay middle grade novels about the theater ages 8-13

    Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links and may earn commission.

    If you want to support independent booksellers, find this book list, along with our picture books about the theater, curated at Bookshop.

    Books for Tweens about the Theater

    I recommend these middle grade books for theater kids ages 8/9 and up.

    Surviving the Applewhites book cover showing spike haired teen on with family working on stage set in background

    Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    Jake has gotten kicked out of his last school and is now living with the eccentric, artistic, homeschooling Applewhite family. The father is directing a local production of  "The Sound of Music" and no one is more surprised than Jake when he discovers he loves performing. I loved the quirky characters and the boundless energy of this book. When the family has to pull together to get the show up after they are blackballed by a local stage mom, the results are hilariously successful. I really enjoy how the story reinforces the necessity of cooperation when putting on a play and also recommend it as a terrific read aloud.


    purple box set of The Complete Nate Trilogy

    Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    13-year-old Nate's snappy narrative about his adventure in New York City auditioning for E.T. The Musical (yes, you read that right) is marvelous and incredibly funny. The scene in which Nate reads the "sides" during his audition had me laughing so hard I could barely see the words through my tears.  The two sequels are just as hilarious as the original.


    Chance to Fly book

    The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

    Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

    Nat's passion is musical theater. Now that her family has moved to New Jersey, she finally has the chance to audition for the musical, Wicked. Nat gets a part in the show, makes new friends and learns what it's like to finally be on the stage. In addition, she and fellow thespian, Malik, have a budding romance. Author and Tony-award winning actress, Ali Stroker was the first actor in a wheelchair on Broadway Ages 9 and up.


    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jewish-broken-1.jpg

    Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer

    Find it: Bookshop | Amazon

    Shirli loves acting and singing. She gets a part in the school production of Fiddler on the Roof, and even though it is not the role she wanted, she throws herself into it. Shirli regularly visits her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor. One day, Shirli finds a violin in his attic, which she thinks is odd, as she understands her grandfather never wants to listen music. Slowly, Shirli learns her grandfather's dark story, and when the musical production loses its director, Shirli's grandfather takes up his violin once again. The action of this story takes place in the wake of 9/11 and the characters reflect upon the current state of racial and religious prejudice in their community.


    A Star is Born The Cruisers book cover with three teens on a purple stage

    A Star Is Born by Walter Dean Myers

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    This is book three in award winning author Walter Dean Myers' The Cruisers series. The Cruisers are a group of middle schoolers who write a newspaper at their school for gifted kids in Harlem. LaShonda gets a chance to receive a scholarship for her work on costumes but it conflicts with her need to take care of her autistic brother. The heart of the book is the way the group of friends come together to help LaShonda. Myers tackles some important subjects about disadvantaged kids, poverty, and tolerance. Interspersed between the chapters are pieces that the kids write for their newspaper.


    The Ellie McDoodle Diaries book The Show Must Go On pink background with girl falling out of director's chair

    The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: The Show Must Go On by Ruth McNally Barshaw

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    The Ellie books are written in the same highly illustrated format as Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Ellie is the stage manager and if you have never worked in the theater, the stage manager is the most under-appreciated job! If you do work in the theater, you know how crucial a good SM is. Ellie has to navigate the pressure of being blamed for everything that goes wrong as well as having to figure out how to fix everything. This is a fun installment in a series which is perfect for so-called "reluctant readers."


    Summer in the City book cover with girl sitting on the sidewalk

    Summer in the City by Fracaswell Hyman

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    12-year-old Mango Delight (it's a little ridiculous how much I love her name) gets the chance to star in a way-off-Broadway musical in New York City. In the first Mango Delight book (which I guess I should have read, but somehow missed that this was a series!), Mango starred in the school play, but an encounter with her drama teacher has her headed off to the big city to deal with all the craziness of professional actors! Hyman's writing grounds Mango in the real world as her dad tries to make a go of his catering company and her mom works retail while coping with her prosthetic leg. Lots of fun!


    Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan, book cover with a pair of striped legs and red shoes

    Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    I loved this book! Julia is short for her age and one summer she lands a role in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. While playing the part of a munchkin, she befriends several adults with dwarfism as well as her artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, who just happens to be a whiz at costuming. Through her new friendships and performing experience, Julia's world bursts wide open.


    book cover of romeo and juliet together and alive at last showing two actors sitting on stage

    Romeo and Juliet Together (And Alive!) at Last by Avi

    Find it: Amazon

    Don't tell me you never wished Romeo and Juliet would have a happy ending. Well, here's your chance. 8th grader, Ed, narrates this quirky story about how he and is friends arrange a school production of the famous tragedy in order to bring two shy friends together. Avi is a stellar storyteller, bringing much humor to this tale. Whatever can go wrong on stage does, and hilariously so. It's not just a story about putting on a play, however, it's also a charming story about friendship. It's a short novel, making it a good choice for older kids (the protagonists are 8th graders) who may balk at long books.

    MORE: Shakespeare for Kids - books, graphic novels, quotes and more!


    drama by raina telgemeier book cover with two boys and a girl walking on stage

    Drama by Raina Telgemeier

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    This tale is by one of the best loved graphic novelist. Callie wants to be in her school's latest production but she doesn't think she can sing so instead she helps out as the set designer and is determined to create a Broadway-worthy show. The "drama" of the book's title could easily refer to the friendship and romantic entanglements of the middle school crew (when is middle school not melodramatic?) as well what happens on the stage.


    Theater Shoes book cover, blue background with three framed children and a pair of dance shoes

    Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    What can I say about the awesomeness of Noel Streatfeild? You are likely familiar with her most famous title, Ballet Shoes. Well, the now grown-up stars of Ballet Shoes give drama school scholarships to three promising orphans with a stellar theater pedigree. The Fossil sisters from Ballet Shoes remain in the background as these new children attend Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training in London during World War II.


    William's Midsummer Dreams book cover, boy swinging from light cord across red curtain of stage

    William's Midsummer Dreams by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

    Find it: Amazon

    Set in the 1930s, this is the sequel to William S. and the Great Escape. You may recognize Snyder as the author of the 1960s book, The Egypt Game. 13-year-old William is living with his Aunt Flora. He auditions for, and gets the role of Puck in Shakespeare's Midsummer, but in doing so he makes an enemy of the son of dean of the performing arts school. William must deal with a lot of complicated family relationship issues, but the descriptions of his experience coping with stage fright and learning his part ring true. 


    All the world's a Stage book cover showing Old Globe theatre with river in background

    All the World's a Stage: A Novel in Five Acts by Gretchen Woelfle

    Find it: Amazon

    Here's a fun historical novel in which the great Shakespeare himself plays a role! Twelve-year-old Kit gets caught pickpocketing in the audience during a performance and instead of sending him off to prison, the Lord Chamberlain's Men decide he will work for them instead. During the course of his employment, Kit becomes enamored with theater life and when the company is threatened with eviction, Kit helps them steal the theater (you will have to read it to see what I mean!) to build The Globe. Lots of fun, especially for Shakespeare fans. This would be great to read in conjunction with learning about The Bard.


    Replay by Sharon Creech children's book cover showing boy on stage

    Replay by Sharon Creech

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    Leo the dreamer is the middle child in a large Italian family. One day he finds his father's diary in the attic. In the diary he learns that as a young teen, his father also dreamed of being a performer. Leo gets a part in a school production and the threads of family life and stage life intertwine throughout the book. The text is crafted around short vignettes. Some of the action is also written out in play script form and the script of the school play is included at the end of the novel, adding another layer of insight to Leo's character growth. I loved the rehearsal scenes and the description of the acting exercises. The combination of Leo's excitement and nerves during the performance was spot on.


    Star Crossed by Barbara Dee book cover with two girls sitting back to back on dark starry background

    Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    In this book, eighth grader Mattie is playing Romeo in the class production of Shakespeare's classic. During rehearsals she starts to have more-than-friends feelings for her co-star, Gemma. Mattie is confused because just recently she had a crush on a boy. There's drama on and off stage, of course but in general, this is a positive representation of a pre-teen learning about her own romantic leanings.


    the wednesday wars book cover showing boy at school desk falling over

    The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    Holling Hoodhood always seems to be getting into scrapes, but his father appears to be mostly concerned with how Holling's antics affect his business reputation. On Wednesday afternoons, most of his classmates head off to Catholic or Jewish religious education classes. However, the Hoodhoods are Presbyterian, so Holling stays behind at school where his teacher introduces him to Shakespeare. Holling's antics at school, his involvement in a Shakespeare production and the general mayhem he creates wherever he goes make for lots of laughs from a master storyteller.


    The Swish of the Curtain book cover displaying a yellow theater curtain on a light blue background

    The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    I'm including this 1940s children's book as a bit of an in-house favorite since the plot revolves around the theater. Written when the author was only 14 (!), the book follows the adventures of seven children as they produce and perform in their own stage company. If your children have read and enjoyed Noel Streatfield's Shoes books, this book should be next on the list.


    Stand Up, Yumi Chung! book cover showing girl with microphone in front of red curtain

    Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    Yumi Chung's family owns a Korean restaurant but times are tough and the only way Yumi can continue her enrollment at her private school is to earn a scholarship. Her parents sign her up with a tutor but Yumi longs to hone her stand-up comedy. When an identity mix up lands Yumi in comedy camp, she gets twisted up in a pretzel of deception (yes, I made that terrible metaphor up myself). This a an entertaining story of a girl learning to speak up for herself, engaging in creative problem solving and figuring out exactly what she wants. Highly recommended!


    The Marvels bookcover, dark blue background with intricate gold design

    The Marvels by Brian Selznick

    Find it: Amazon | Bookshop

    The first 400 (!) pages of this book tells the tale of multi-generational theater family in gorgeous black and white illustrations. The second half is written as a traditional novel. (This two-part format is Selznick's signature style.) Young Joseph runs away from a boarding school in search of his uncle, Albert. Albert lives alone in London, in a house that is full of questions and mysteries. The story touches on the loss of Albert's former love due to AIDS but the heart of the story is a 400 year old family saga. Selznick masterfully weaves connections to the visual half of the book as well as puzzling clues, twists and turns.

    More entertaining books for tweens:

    • Hilarious middle grade novels
    • Books for kids who love Smile
    • Diverse contemporary middle grade realistic fiction
    « 10 Card Games Every Kid Should Know
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    Comments

    1. esivy says

      June 24, 2014 at 1:36 pm

      The Ellie McDoodle series is one of my girls' all-time favorites! We all agree that we like it better than the "more popular" series. We have all of them and they've been read many times over.

      Reply
    2. Katie says

      June 26, 2014 at 10:39 pm

      Fantastic list! I love the theater, and it has become a big part of my family's lives as well. Off to check out your picture book list!

      Reply
    3. Stuart Purcell says

      October 13, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      Have you heard of 'The Swish of the Curtain'?
      It would fit in well in your Theatre Category.

      Best,

      Another children's books reader

      Reply
      • Erica says

        October 14, 2020 at 10:21 am

        Yes! Great book, I should put it on this list. I have it on one of my classics lists already.

        Reply

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