Upstaged
Ash attends performing arts camp every summer, but this summer will be different. They’ve been chosen as stage manager 
for the musical Ella, and they are bursting with ideas to make this the best show ever. Plus, camp means reuniting with Ash’s best friend Ivy, who also happens to be the star of the musical. And this summer, maybe Ash can finally admit that they have a huge crush on Ivy.
But nothing is going as Ash hoped. They aren’t in the same cabin as Ivy. And Ivy is spending an awful lot of time with her charming costar. The summer is slipping away, and Ash is starting to panic. This is the last year Ash and Ivy will attend camp, and then they’re both starting different high schools and may never see each other again. What if they miss their chance to tell Ivy how they feel?
Ash is so preoccupied that they start to let things slip. They aren’t keeping up with their stage manager duties, and they barely interact with their cabinmates. If they aren’t careful, they might mess up not just their relationship with Ivy, but their other friendships and even the big musical. Ash’s last summer at camp was supposed to be a triumph. Can they save it from being a disaster?
Ash is a sympathetic tween protagonist: passionate and well-intentioned, but also anxious and prone to getting wrapped up in their feelings. Ivy and the rest of the cast are also passionate and creative–they are at performing arts camp, after all–as well as kind and supportive. Diversity of race, gender identity, orientation, and more are all casually portrayed and consistently respected by the characters.
In addition to the relationship plotline, the book covers a lot of fun theater stuff. Since the big musical will be performed at the end of camp, preparing for it provides a built-in timeline of the summer. Being the stage manager, Ash starts out with a notebook full of ideas and a bunch of crew members to organize. As the summer goes on, we see progress being made: set pieces and costumes are assembled, makeup and lighting are planned, etc. There are also interesting references to the other creative projects going on at camp besides the musical.
The art is a slightly simplified cartoon style, though with easily enough detail to differentiate the characters and set the scenes. The colors are mostly soft and natural, with a lot of earth tones–a good fit for a summer camp, where many scenes take place in cabins or outside. There is also frequent use of colorful screentone backgrounds, which add visual variety without being distracting.
Ash’s thoughts often appear in the form of doodles in their notebook, where they and Ivy are drawn in a different style (Ash’s art style, presumably) from the rest of the book. Here we see things that Ash wants to say but doesn’t, or imagines that other people might say. These notebook doodles are black and white, with the lines of the ruled paper visible behind them, which makes them immediately distinct from the rest of the book.
This is a story of relationships, responsibility, and forgiveness, with lots of fun theater kid and summer camp situations. Ash isn’t perfect, but they mean well and do their best to fix their mistakes, and their friends are willing to meet them halfway. Hand this goodhearted story to fans of other emotional realistic middle-grade fiction, like Victoria Jamieson, Kayla Miller, and, of course, Raina Telgemeier.
Upstaged
By Robin Easter
Little, Brown, 2024
ISBN: 9780316429429
Publisher Age Rating:Â 7-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation:Â Nonbinary ,
Character Representation:Â Nonbinary,
