YA Books about Theater

Words, words words!

YA Books About Theater

Do you dream of the lights and the stage? Do your nightmares revolve around forgetting your lines or your costume breaking? Do you suffer through the school day just so you can go to rehearsal? If so, one of these books might make the hours between call times a little more bearable!

Center Stage:  Stars and More

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon

In her first year at a suburban New Jersey high school, Mary Elizabeth Cep, who now calls herself "Lola," sets her sights on the lead in the annual drama production, and finds herself in conflict with the most popular girl in school. (CIP)

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My Life, The Musical by Mayrose Wood

Sixteen-year-old Emily Pearl's obsession with Broadway shows, and one musical in particular, lands her in trouble in school and at home, but it might also allow her and her best friend, Phillip, to find a dramatic solution to the problems. (CIP)

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Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

When teenage heartthrob Luke Stryker shows up at a small-town Indiana high school to do research for a movie role, he persuades junior Jenny Greenley to use her considerable talents to try to change things at school for the better. (CIP) 

From the Top: Performing Arts Schools and Camps

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Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Spending their summer at Wildewood Academy, an elite boarding school for the performing arts, tests the bond between teens Sadye and her best friend Demi. (CIP)

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The Four Dorothys by Paul Ruditis
From the Drama! Series

The students at the Orion Academy put on a musical based on the Wizard of Oz. Due to their egotism, four of them have the part of Dorothy, but as opening night approaches, the Dorothys drop out of the show one-by-one. Bryan Stark must find out why in order to keep the musical from being cancelled. (CIP)

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How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater 

by Marc Acito

Edward Zanni is a carefree seventeen-year-old until his wealthy father remarries and refuses to pay for Edward to study acting at Julliard, so Edward rounds up his theater friends and attempts to steal the tuition money himself.

Behind the Scenes:  Writers, Stage Managers, and Crew

Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

Seventeen-year-old KJ Miller is determined to lose the label of "geek magnet" and get the guy of her dreams, all while stage managing the high school musical, with the help of the most popular girl in school. (CIP)


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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both. (CIP)

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Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Sixteen-year-old Ava does not know who she is or where she belongs, but when she tries out a new personality--and sexual orientation--at a different school, her edgy girlfriend, potential boyfriend, and others are hurt by her lack of honesty. (CIP)

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A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

Cass Meyer's best friend Julia dies suddenly, and as a memorial Julia's drama friends put on the musical Julia has written: Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad. Cass doesn't quite fit in with the drama crowd, and brings Julia's ashes on a cross-country bike trip to try and come to terms with her death.

Too, Too Solid Flesh:  Real Life + Drama

Girl, Hero by Carrie Jones

High school freshman Lily pours her heart out in letters to her hero, dead movie star John Wayne, in which she tells him about the death of her beloved stepfather, her mother's abusive boyfriends, her fears that her father is gay, getting the lead in the high school play, and her burgeoning romance with a classmate who reminds her of Mr. Wayne. (CIP)

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Acting by Sherri Winston

Longing to escape from her small Michigan town, sixteen-year-old Eve, an aspiring actress, is forced to confront both her family's and her own expectations when her twin sister announces her pregnancy. (CIP)

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Talk by Kathe Koje

Hoping to escape from himself for awhile, Kit auditions for a controversial school play and discovers his talent for acting, struggles with coming out, and both he and his costar face crises in their view of themselves and in their close relationships. Told from two points of view. (CIP)

Want more? Try browsing the Goodreads YA Theater Booklist for additional reads!