Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle

Nate the Great is back!

As you might re-call, I was a HUGE fan of Tim Federle's first novel, Better Nate Than Ever, and I'm just as big a fan of the sequel, Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

Having been cast in an actual Broadway show: E.T. The Musical (OK, he's E.T.'s second understudy, but still....it's a Broadway musical!), 13-year-old Nate Foster feels like his life is finally about to begin.  He's leaving dull, grey Jankburg, PA behind for more hilarious adventures in New York City as he tries to learn his way around the often-times crazy world of professional theater.


Self-conscious that he's much less experienced than the rest of the cast (in fact, Nate has NO experience with any theater beyond his school's nutrition play [he played the broccoli]), Nate's just hoping not to mess things up too badly, and maybe make a friend or two along the way.

But that's no easy task.  Professional theater is a whole new ball of wax for small-town Nate to get used to, especially since they expect him to dance.  "Graceful" isn't a word Nate would ever choose to describe himself.  And as Nate suffers one humiliation after another, he gets cut from most of the show's scenes.

Even worse, Nate's nemesis - the super-talented and good-looking Jordan Rylance (who IS graceful, wouldn't you know) has been cast as the show's star.  Jordan from the wealthy family.  Jordan with the fancy-pants theatrical training.  Jordan with the professional head-shots.  Jordan with the perfect skin and perfectly proportionate nose.  How can Nate not feel intimidated?

As the big opening night draws nearer, Nate feels sad that the thing he always wanted - to be in a Broadway musical - is turning out to be more than a disappointing experience.  But when the show's future starts to look uncertain, Nate just might get his chance to shine!  And what really makes the book shine is Federle's insider-view of the drama, work, and just plain luck that goes into launching a big-budget Broadway show (Federle himself has been a dancer on Broadway).

There's no way I'm going to give away what happens, but let's just say that there's no better Nate Foster on Earth than Nate Foster.  And that's the message Tim Federle has for his lucky readers. In his own words, "The coolest thing you can become is yourself!"