September 1, 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC Provided by Netgalley
Cassie is back, and navigating the summer after fourth grade. She enjoys hanging out with her friend Vali, but Stesha always complains about everything they do, especially when it involves Cassie having to stay in the family of eight's small two bedroom home to play while she watches two younger siblings. When the group is hanging out in a local park, they realize that a film is being made right in their neighborhood. They watch the filming, and Cassie dreams of being on the set, She decides to research the film making process, and has enough knowledge when asking to speak to someone that she actually talks to someone who can cast the few extras that are needed. Stesha thought asking was stupid, but Cassie and Vali are hired! They are to be "ugly kids" in a horror film, playing jacks with the main characters. Filming involves a lot of standing around, but also a craft services table with lots of junk food, which is hard for Cassie to come by now that her father is worried about money. Vali is bored and decides not to come back, but Cassie is enjoying herself, especially when she is chosen for a close up when she makes a particular good face when the group is "Slimed" in rehearsals. The actually filming doesn't go smoothly, which makes Cassie anxious, but pretty much everything does, and she manages to work through it. She eventually makes friends with the lead actor, Davey, who seems sad and lonely to her, even though she calls him an uncomplimentary name when the other kid actors complain about him. In the end, she enjoys her experience, makes a little money, and finds out that while Vali has been hanging out with Stesha, she really would rather hang out with Cassie, but was too afraid of being on set to continue. Cassie even uses her pay check to help her father, whose sales have been down, make rent for the month.
Strengths: What tween doesn't have vague dreams about being in a movie? (Or has it changed to being a social media star? Must ask actual tweens.) There is lots of good information about the different people on set, and the jobs they do, and the note from Hale that she was an extra in a number of productions was fascinating. It would be interesting to see more middle grade novels with larger families, although today these usually are the result of blended families. Cassie is a sweet person at heart, and since she is anxious about many things, is a little more understanding about what other people are going through. It's a great message for children with anxiety; develop ways to help yourself through tough moments, and try to make others feel better as well.
Weaknesses: Modern readers might be a little confused as to why Cassie is left alone in the house with toddler and infant siblings, since this is no longer a widely accepted practice. Made perfect sense to me; I was babysitting a neighbor's children who were these ages until 2:00 a.m. when she had a night shift at the hospital! Being a little clearer about the historical setting will help these readers be less confused.
Weaknesses: Modern readers might be a little confused as to why Cassie is left alone in the house with toddler and infant siblings, since this is no longer a widely accepted practice. Made perfect sense to me; I was babysitting a neighbor's children who were these ages until 2:00 a.m. when she had a night shift at the hospital! Being a little clearer about the historical setting will help these readers be less confused.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed movie making books like Greenwald's Pete Milano's Guide to Being a Movie Star or Hart's Marcus Makes a Movie, or the many, many graphic novels that deal with tween anxiety like Lloyd's Squished, Libenson's Emmie and Friends series, or Scrivan's Nat Enough books. They seem a bit young for middle school, but I would definitely purchase these for an elementary school library.
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