Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Painfully shy, Shira is talented, but can’t get over her stage fright. Her friend, Cassie convinces her to try out for the school’s musical, The Music Man. Shira gets the part as the mean girl in school’s understudy. Soon Shira finds herself navigating the world of drama as romances bud, new friendships are formed, and mysterious attempts to sabotage the play begin to occur. Will Shira find her own way to shine? Will she ever realize that the spotlight isn’t as frightening as it seems? The plot is genuine, funny, and realistically portrays behind-the-scenes of musicals. The main character grows tremendously throughout the book and adds an engaging element into the story. The characters are multifaceted, realistic, and add a level of depth to the book. Fans of drama, plays, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading this book. 4 stars, 4 to 7.
Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

Upstaged is a heart warming and lovely read that will delight and become a firm favourite of anyone who loves theatre. It's a book that all ages can find joy in.

When Shira's best friend Cassie convinces her to try out for the school play, Shira hopes she doesn't make it. But when asked to be part of the barbershop quartet and then to understudy the main character, Shira works extra hard. As she learns more about being in a drama production, she also learns about herself. This book will be a favorite of drama kids,

4.5 stars = I loved it! Would re-read.

This was a delight! I loved the author's last book - Sidetracked - and this was equally fun. I loved Shira and all of the pieces of her story. I loved the Music Man moments and how Shira understood and identified with Marian. Shira's shyness was simply that - it wasn't the paralyzing sort of anxiety I was expecting. It's more that she's an introvert with some natural levels of anxiety who finds ways to come out of her shell when she's encouraged by her friends and she confronts the scary thing - like performing - head on. This is a terrific friendship story with some awesome, humorous moments. I highly recommend it!

This book emerges the reader into the lives of seventh grade pupils with the delicate relationships and emotions that this brings. We are taken on a journey of enlightenment and development with the main character, Shira. She takes part in the school’s musical production and her confidence grows. As a reader, we are privileges to be part of this journey and her development is one that I would share with my pupils.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Upstaged by Diana Harmon Asher. All opinions are my own.

I knew I had to read this the minute I read the synopsis. As a former musical theater nerd who was in The Music Man, I was THRILLED. This is an adorable book that accurately documents the mounting pressures of middle school, mean girls & anxiety.

Strengths: While Shira is anxious and nervous about performing, she still manages to get up and perform with the support of her family and friends. There is a definite trend for showcasing anxiety, but the books are more interesting when the plot focuses more on the characters accomplishing things despite this. The interactions between the cast members are fun, and Paul in particular is a well-drawn character. There are just enough details about putting on a play, and I love that it is based on the author's own experience of being in the Barbershop quartet when she was in school! My school put on The Music Man last year, so it's definitely a play that is still being done!

Weaknesses: It seems unlikely that Monica and her mother would hold such power over the principal, or that Monica would get away with being so mean. I've been seeing a lot more of this sort of unrealistic situation in books. They do add a lot more excitement to books and probably bother young readers a lot less than they bother me.

Shira is a shy, middle school student who is persuaded to audition for the school musical. Encouraged by her teacher and her best friend, she lands a supporting role, but is also asked to understudy the lead. The usual middle school rivalries result in some strained relationships and nasty tricks.

I really enjoyed this book and liked watching Shira’s confidence develop throughout the story.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who loves musicals, I adored Upstaged and found it a charming middle-grade novel.

The author wrote the characters very nicely. She describes the characters and the plot in a personal manner that makes you easily connect with them. Moreover, she brings the life of the theatre in an energetic yet realistic way. I could feel the rush of excitement and urgency as the cast got closer to their performance. Although I have never seen “The Music Man,” I enjoyed how the author brought the musical to life in the plot. After reading the story, I surely want to watch the play’s rendition.

Most of the characters shine in the story and are entertaining. Shira is excellent in the lead. She is shy and hates attention but has lovely friends, like Cassie, Paul, and her barbershop quartet, who root for her. I loved how the author describes the perfect pitch simply and effectively through Shira. Similarly, Monica is devious in the negative role and one of those mean girls you love to hate. For some reason, I also found Sophie hilarious, and I wished to see more of her. On a side note, I also enjoyed the side storyline as to who the “Blue Marauder” was.

However, while I loved everything about the story, I thought Ms. Channing’s character was a tad out of place. It felt as though she just came for a few chapters and disappeared. In my opinion, she was a character who did not make any difference to the storyline with her presence.

Apart from that, this was an adorable middle-grade novel that I enjoyed.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I love books set in theatres and musicals especially but I felt this was really stilted and took so long to get going that I was bored.

Shira is a really good singer, but she is nervous about performing in front of others. When her best friend Cassie wants to try out for the middle school production of The Music Man, Shira goes along to support her. Cassie ends up with a part in the chorus, but Shira has a larger role-- as part of the barber shop quartet. After some people make snide comments to her about being chosen for a boy's role, she debates not doing the play, but her younger sister, Cassie, and teacher Mr. Hoover convince her that she would do a good job. Popular mean girl Monica gets the role of Marian the librarian, and enthusiastic, friendly theater geek Paul plays Harold Hill. Monica frequently goes to auditions in the city, and Mr. Hoover thinks there should be an understudy for her part, although the "celebrity director", Ms. Channing, (who is also Monica's acting coach) doesn't think this is necessary. Shira enjoys working on the play, and finds Paul fun to be around. She even gets to spend some time with her crush, Drew, who is decently nice to her. Monica is not very nice to the other cast members, and when her expensive eyeliner is used to write a message on her locker, her costume is ordered in the incorrect size, and her script is mangled in a paper cutter, Monica focuses suspicion falls on Paul, whom she doesn't think is quite up to snuff to play opposite her. Paul is "benched" by the principal for a while. The play goes on, and Shira starts to feel a little more comfortable with performing. On the night of the production, something goes badly wrong. Will Shira be able to overcome her fears to save the day?
Strengths: While Shira is anxious and nervous about performing, she still manages to get up and perform with the support of her family and friends. There is a definite trend for showcasing anxiety, but the books are more interesting when the plot focuses more on the characters accomplishing things despite this. The interactions between the cast members are fun, and Paul in particular is a well-drawn character. There are just enough details about putting on a play, and I love that it is based on the author's own experience of being in the Barbershop quartet when she was in school! My school put on The Music Man last year, so it's definitely a play that is still being done!
Weaknesses: It seems unlikely that Monica and her mother would hold such power over the principal, or that Monica would get away with being so mean. I've been seeing a lot more of this sort of unrealistic situation in books. They do add a lot more excitement to books, and probably bother young readers a lot less than they bother me.
What I really think: This is another good book about a school play being performed and a good addition to books like Federle's Better Nate Than Ever, Mustaches for Maddie, Freeman's Noah McNicol and the Backstage Ghost, Zadoff's My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies, or Young's The Prettiest. (In which The Music Man is also the play being performed!)

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I couldn't get through it. So I decided to put it down at 58%. Here are the reasons why I couldn't get through it.

It felt like Upstaged was just another story about a shy girl wanting to be in a musical and getting over her shyness. And there's nothing wrong with that storyline in itself, it's just that Upstaged didn't add a single new thing to the table. It has the same type of characters with the same characteristics and the same plot as any other book/film/series with a similar storyline.

I just couldn't get over the cliches in this story. Especially the way Monica was portrayed. She is a musical loving bully and is exactly like every other character with those 'traits': she's girly. She's just a younger copy of Sharpay from HSM. And I have to admit I'm just so tired of this portrayel of girly girls who love make up, clothes and other girly things as the bad guys (or well, girls) & the bullies. Their love for girly things is always used in a negative way, for example to make them look vain. But guess what liking girly things doesn't equal being vain or being a bully.

I'm impatiently waiting for a MG book or film, preferably about musicals, where the girly girl is not the bully or the bad guy.

Shira loves to follow her dreams and show off her talents. However; she is only comfortable showing her talents to her bedroom mirror. Yet, when she is asked to audition for the play "The Music Man," her world turns upside down. Not only does Shira grab a part in thr play but she grabs a role she never would have imagined.
"Upstaged" tells the story of following your dreams. Diana Harmon Asher does a great job of allowing the reader to understand the character's struggles and face battles. As an elementary teacher and musician, I enjoyed reading this tale. This is a story I will definitely share with my students.

Shira loves to sing and dance and dream as much as she can... but only when she's alone... in her room... where nobody, especially the others at school, can see her dancing. But, when she's asked to audition for the school musical, The Music Man, in her chorus class she realizes that she'll have to now perform in front of other people. It all seems like a lot of pressure, but as she starts to enjoy her rehearsals and (most of) the other kids working on the show, she finds new talents and a place to she might even fit in.

First off, I have to start by telling you that I'm an actor and director (which is why I requested this book) and my first full show was The Music Man Jr. and I was 10 (maybe 11?), so this book already has some sentimental value to me.

Second off, I'm doing a project where I read any book I can find that features people participating in theatre, and this was part of that. So far, it may also be my favorite.

Diana Harmon Asher portrayed what it's like to be in a musical better than anyone else I've read so far. The amount of care that went into making this accurate to a rehearsal process was immeasurable and I am extremely thankful for that, especially right now. At this point, it's been almost a year since I got to rehearse or perform a show and I didn't know how much it would help to read someone else doing it! Most other books undervalue the time and work that goes into theatre at any level, but Upstaged didn't at all. Harmon Asher allowed Shira to be affected by the process and the other people working on the show, but also to connect to The Music Man itself. Being in a show is all of that. It's everyone from the person who resewed your button on for the third time, to the leads, to the painters, to the composers and their music, to the volunteers, to the writers, to the directors and stage managers and ensembles and orchestras and everyone else that I can't think of. That is what theatre is. And I think the author did a lovely job of portraying just that.

Shira is a shy, smart, and talented kid who doesn't quite know her own fantastic abilities yet. But her friends and teachers do a really lovely job of helping her see just amazing she is throughout the book.
I also appreciate how the Diva archetype was dealt with in this book, but like with most middle grades question many of the adult's decisions when it comes to how behavior is handled. That being said the adult hierarchy at the school and with the board was quite accurate. Most of the time you have to get through a lot of red tape to put on even a small production.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to middle grade readers and theatre practitioners. It has endearing characters, a moving plot, and a highly accurate look at what it means to be in a musical.

Wonderfully sweet story set in an East Coast middle school and focused on shy student Shira Gordon who is mystified by the social pecking order and would really prefer if no one noticed her at all. However Shira's music teacher prevails on her to audition for the school production of The Music Man, ultimately casting her as both a member of the barbershop quartet and as an understudy for Marian the Librarian. Partially based on the author's own childhood experiences as a performer in the same musical, this book includes an entertaining plot, likeable characters, humor, and good life lessons.

This was such a fun book; as a lover of theater and a kid who found her people because of it, this book was so relatable. I love that the depictions of bullying didn't feel over the top and were dealt with in realistic ways. I loved watching our main character grow over the course of the story and learn to stick up for herself a little more. I thought the cast of characters were interesting and felt relatable. I definitely recommend this book for young readers and this would be a great book for classroom libraries!