Take It From the Top by Claire Swinarski
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/Harper Collins
Format: E-ARC
Number of pages: 256 pages
Publishing: November 19th, 2024
Source: SparkPoint Studio via Netgalley
Opening Lines: "When I was five years old, I got lost in the historic Leighton Theater."
This will be Eowyn and Jules sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp for the Arts. Eowyn can't wait to reach her cabin, reunite with Jules, and dive into eight weeks of musical theater, dance, vocal training and acting. Escaping the shadow of her older brother, an accomplished Broadway actor and singer, will also be a welcome change. At camp, the busyness helps to ease the pain of her mother's death, yet Eowyn finds herself grappling with an unexpected performance anxiety. Receiving only a spotty few texts from Jules since last summer has not made the situation any easier. But when the two girls get to camp, their reunion is awkward and feels off. Why is Jules being super friendly with everyone else, and standoffish with her? She will barely even look at Eowyn and she can't figure out why.
Take It From the Top spans across six summers at camp, told through flashbacks from present day— their sixth year— to previous summers spent together. At one time the girls shared a really strong bond, they even dreamed of performing Wicked on Broadway together one day. The flashbacks reveal how their friendship evolved and how the current rift developed between them. How Jules' experiences during the times between camp were very different than Eowyn's. Jules family is struggling financially and getting the money for camp has been a huge strain.
Meanwhile Eowyn comes from a place of privilege, her dad is a doctor, her brother is a famous actor, and she's able to take private lessons. What is missed in this equation is that both girls think that the others life is so much better than their own. Eowyn is envious of Jules' extended family, how her parents are always present at her shows. Just once she would like her dad to make an effort to come. She feels quite alone and misses her mom.
Jules is upset because she was told by one of the instructors that she'll have to work twice as hard as Eowyn to prove herself because things will just be handed to Eowyn. She resents having to work so hard to find ways around her family's money problems to get her headshots, to have proper name brand clothing and to improve her singing without lessons. I felt like Eowyn seemed to be trying harder to reach out to Jules and make amends. It was difficult because she's also slightly clueless to her privilege which is worsened when she lets the source of Jules' scholarship slip.
The story made for a really good summertime read; it had the whole summer camp vibe going for it, minus all the pranks that are usually associated with being at camp. It's perfect for fans of the theater, musicals or acting with lots of references to Wicked. Which is especially timely given that the movie will be coming out soon.
There are demanding teachers and kids doing something that they feel passionate about. I think kids will relate to the feeling of wanting to be successful, receive praise and recognition. Both Eowyn and Jules were searching for a moment in the limelight and a chance for that opening role. While also balancing their hurt feelings and trying to not let it overwhelm all their senses. Their friendship was complex and yes messy but eventually they learned how to let go of the hurt and began to see the good moments that they previously shared. Overall, a really fun story with lots of theater kid appeal.
** A huge thank you to SparkPoint Studio for the E- ARC in exchange for an honest review**
I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE
