Take a Bow
Chasing Fame.
Chasing Love.
Chasing a Future.
EMME has long lived in her best friend Sophie’s shadow. She writes songs, and Sophie sings them. It’s always been like this, and feels like it always will be.
SOPHIE will stop at nothing to be a star. Even if it means using her best friend and picking up a trophy boyfriend, Carter.
CARTER is a victim of a particular Hollywood curse: He’s a former child star. Now all he wants is a normal life. But being normal is about as hard for him as being famous.
ETHAN has his own issues — a darkness in his head that he just can’t shake. He’s managed to sabotage every relationship he’s even been in. Emme’s the only girl he’s ever really respected… but he’s not sure what to do about that.
Emme, Sophie, Carter, and Ethan are all students at a performing arts high school, where talent is the normal and fame is the goal. But sometimes, being in the spotlight isn’t as important as the people you’re sharing it with — as the four of them are going to find out in Take a Bow, which is about the auditions life puts us through every day, both big and small.
Take a Bow is now available!
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EXCERPT
REVIEWS
YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee
“This fresh, fun, fabulous read will have you cheering for new beginnings. Five shiny gold stars!”
— Susane Colasanti, author of When It Happens and Take Me There
“A Standing Ovation for Take a Bow. Take ‘Glee,’ toss it in Lincoln Center, shake out the bizarre stereotypes and you get Take a Bow…. With lines that made us laugh out loud—usually coming from Jack and Ben, Emme and Ethan’s cheeky band mates—and a few romances just waiting to unfold, Take a Bow is one page turner that has us yearning for an encore.”
– MTV’s Hollywood Crush (entire review)
“Fans of the musical Fame will be intrigued by this book that goes inside the walls of a prestigious, fictitious New York City performing arts high school…. Readers who love seeing underdogs come out ahead will be delighted with the conclusion.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Fans of Glee or those nostalgic for Fame will likely get a kick out of Take a Bow. It’s a fun, fast-packed read with plenty of humor, friendship, backstabbing, and empathy.”
— RT, 4 stars
“Through each teen, readers are exposed to the many ups and downs of life at a performing-arts school, and the format makes for a quick and compelling read. …[R]eaders will enjoy this lighthearted novel and the message to take chances and be true to oneself.”
– School Library Journal
“Four students at a high school for the performing arts find that sometimes life’s most important auditions happen off-stage…. The story, based on the familiar premise of artsy teens, shows surprising depth as it tackles issues including emotional vulnerability, authenticity and betrayal. Realistic dialogue and a healthy dose of teen angst keep the pages turning.”
– Kirkus Reviews
BEHIND THE STORY
Take a Bow comes from my love of music. As Eulberg legend has it, I walked up to the piano as a toddler and would bang on it more than my older sisters would practice. I started taking piano lessons at age five, clarinet lessons in grade school, drums in high school, and, in my ongoing attempt to become a rock star, I started taking guitar lessons a few years ago.
I blame the movie Fame for my assumption growing up that high school kids regularly broke into song during lunch. But since that didn’t happen (bummer), my high school experience was largely focused on music – I was in band, jazz band, pep band, marching band… I was obsessed with performing arts high schools because I thought there could be nothing better than going to a school that focuses on what you love to do. But alas, there wasn’t one in the small town in Wisconsin where I’m from. So I decided to do the next best thing, write a novel set in one!
As I started doing research on performing arts high schools, I couldn’t believe how competitive they are. There’s one school in Texas that requires students to re-audition every semester. When I read that I had two thoughts. One: High school is stressful enough without the added pressure of having to re-audition each semester. And two: That’s so awful… I have to totally include it in my fictional high school!
Another thing that was so striking to me was the amount of competition students have with each other. In a regular high school, there isn’t a limit to how many people can get an A on a test. But at a performing arts high school, there’s only one first chair in an orchestra section, only one lead in the school play. That was the seed that was planted for Take a Bow: how would that kind of competitive environment affect your relationships?
Take a Bow centers on four students at the (fictional) New York City School of the Creative and Performing Arts, where every day feels like an audition. Their senior year is filled with drama, some backstabbing, a little romance, and of course, a few surprises. I loved writing Take a Bow and hope that you enjoy reading it.