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Summary
Summary
At almost-thirteen, Junebug has never felt right except as stagehand at her father's summer theater, but after her parents separate and an irritating intern takes over her responsibilities, she discovers how hard life can be without a script to follo
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-"I want my life to be how I see it, not how it is," says 12-year-old Junebug Cantrell. This vision is shown in her love of theater, and in her narrative that alternates between "Here's how I see it" and "Here's how it is." She has an outlet of sorts, working at her parents' summer-stock theater. This year, however, is one where "how it is" is tough. Junebug's father, Cassius, suffers a heart attack for which she feels responsible; her parents separate with little explanation why; there are signs that Cassius is having a dalliance with the lead actress; and most infuriating of all is the arrival of Trace Weaver, soon to be appointed intern. Junebug refers to him derogatively as "Thespis," after Cassius refers to him as "quite the young thespian." Junebug is puzzled then angered by Trace's odd, seemingly rude behavior: not making eye contact, stuttering, and a need to create order. After she blows up and says cruel, insulting things about him that he hears, she learns that he suffers from Asperger's syndrome, explained in a few lines with some pretty astute self-reflection from him. There is a peace-making between them, and he makes great strides in his ability to socialize, complete with eye contact and a cohesive, flowing conversation. This sudden transformation seems rather far-fetched. Regardless, this is an enjoyable read, especially for theater buffs.-Tracy Weiskind, Chicago Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Throughout the school year, budding actress June "Junebug" Cantrell feels like a fish out of water. Summers, however, are different. Working as a stagehand at the Blue Moon Playhouse, a theater run by her actor/director father, Junebug usually basks in the company of grownups "who think I'm this funny, precocious, mature-for-my-age kid." Unfortunately, the Blue Moon becomes less a refuge than a source of trauma the summer Junebug turns 13. Her father goes "totally gaga" over a pretty, young actress; her mother moves out; and Junebug is upstaged by intern Trace, whose odd behavior and soft stutter get on her nerves. Alternating Junebug's fantasies ("Here's how I see it: As a famous Broadway actress, there are so many demands on my time") with her more mundane reality ("Here's how it is: Office Duty"), Henson (Making the Run) creates a funny, bittersweet story filled with colorful personalities and plenty of backstage detail and drama. Readers will empathize with Junebug as she yearns for a place at center stage and for a happy ending for her broken family. Ages 10-14. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Junebug, nearly thirteen, has spent her whole life in the theater. Her parents own a summer-stock playhouse and, though currently a gofer and stagehand, she dreams of being on Broadway. When her predictable summer routine alters, Junebug can't stay behind the scenes anymore--and she acts out. Theater fans will savor this front-row access to the summer-stock world. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Henson's fresh first-person narrative set at a small-town summer-stock theater moves along breezily even as it imparts some fascinating stage history. For almost-13-year-old June Cantrell, aka Junebug, future Broadway star, the highlight of her year has always been helping her theatrical parents put together their productions at the Blue Moon Playhouse, but this summer nothing is the same. Her mother, a talented costume designer, has left to stay with Mama Duvall at her house on the other side of the farm, while her father, a brilliant actor and director, flirts with the gorgeous leading lady. Moreover, Junebug's self-absorbed older sister, Stella, has assumed the ingnue roll in their production of The Tempest, now that she's 16, leaving poor Junebug to engineer the thunder, be the backstage gofer and show the new, stuttering, know-it-all apprentice the ropes. "I am in mourning for my life." Junebug repeats the first line of The Seagull like a mantra, just one of her many histrionic gestures. She is not always likable, though Henson's work possesses a gutsy authenticity. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Junebug loves theatrical tragedy and dreams of being a revered stage actress one day. But the lineup at her parents' summer stock theater falls well short of her expectations. June is replaced as prop woman by an awkward boy, her ingenue older sister leaves her with all the grunt work, her mother moves out, and her dad seems overly interested in the new leading lady. June embraces the line I am in mourning for my life as her mantra, and mopes about the theater trying to figure out where exactly she fits in. Each chapter begins with an account of how June wishes things were, before telling the reader how it is. By the book's end, though, June finds that she wasn't really seeing things as clearly as she thought after all. Readers unfamiliar with theater conventions will need to adjust to how plays appear in print (including stage directions, and names appearing in all capital letters), but June's narration is heartfelt, and the many theatrical details provide a unique frame for this gentle story about family and personal growth.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2009 Booklist
