After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD. Shannon Carter never considered herself much of a theater person. Not like her two BFFs, Elise, an actress, and Fatima, a techie. Shannon’s always been content to stay backstage, helping wherever she can. But when the director of the summer musical hears Shannon singing, he encourages her to step out of the wings and into the spotlight. At first, Shannon is hesitant. As a twelve-year-old with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she depends on routine. But when she braves the audition, she discovers that center stage is the one place where she doesn’t feel anxious. She lands a lead role, and everyone in her life is ecstatic . . . except Elise. To make matters worse, Shannon’s eccentric and opinionated grandmother moves in with her and her mom after a fluke house fire. As opening night approaches, Shannon feels pressure to save her friendship with Elise, to make Mom and Grandma Ruby act like grown-ups, and to follow the old theater adage The show must go on . Praise for Shannon in the Spotlight: A JLG Gold Standard selection! " Shannon in the Spotlight is the most authentic , beautifully-drawn book about a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder I've ever read. Kalena Miller nails all the parts of middle school— the good, the bad, and the triumphant." —Carrie Firestone, author of Dress Coded “A tender and heartfelt story of family, friendship, and identity. Readers will root for Shannon as she finds herself on and off the stage.”—Christina Li, author of Clues to the Universe "A heartprint story of resilience , friendship , and family . Shannon in the Spotlight embraces the power of honesty and the idea that anxiety neither defines nor limits us on stage or in life. " —Elly Swartz, author of Dear Student "Miller spins a winning story that offers an insightful introduction to OCD. It’s an inspiration and joy to watch [Shannon] step into the spotlight and let her voice truly be heard."— Booklist "[A] delicately realized novel."— Publishers Weekly "Offers readers a positive role model for living with mental illness."— Kirkus Reviews " A great read about what it’s like to live with a mental illness and what it’s like to just be your average middle schooler getting through daily life."— SLJ " This book is a must-read for kids who love theater and stories about friendship."— Brightly Kalena Miller grew up in College Station, Texas. After high school, she moved a thousand miles north to attend Carleton College, where she graduated with a BA in Religious Studies. After a brief stint working as a paraeducator in Seattle, Kalena decided she missed school too much, so she spent the next two years pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at Hamline University. Kalena lives in Minnesota with her husband, Kenny, and their Toy Australian Shepherd, Toshley. She loves books that make her laugh and make her cry, preferably at the same time, and she firmly believes all quality novels should feature a cat. SIXTEEN BARS I stare at the ripped sheet of notebook paper taped to the auditorium door. There’s a pen dangling from a string beside it and a line of kids waiting to sign up. Elise grabs the pen and scrawls her name at the bottom of the list. “This is your chance, Shannon.” Fatima prods me in the side with a sparkly blue nail and gives me a knowing look. She takes the pen from Elise and hands it to me. I shake my head, drop the pen, and watch it bounce back against the wall. There are different levels of theater kids. I’m a level one. I enjoy working on shows, but I’m mostly here for my friends. I’m a techie, which means I do behind-the-scenes stuff. It’s true I sometimes envy the actors--singing and dancing is probably more fun than spending hours with a hot glue gun--but I stay where I’m comfortable. Standing alone onstage? Being judged by my friends? Performing for a packed audience? Those are the total opposite of comfortable. Fatima is a level two. Like me, she prefers to work backstage. But while I’m partial to costume design and props, Fatima is obsessed with anything involving hammers and screwdrivers. Operating a power drill is her favorite hobby. She’s talented too. Last summer, Fatima built a giant doghouse all by herself for our production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Elise, the only actor among us, is a solid level three. She spends the week after auditions working on her prediction chart, a massive bulletin board where she guesses the entire cast list. Imagine a serial killer’s lair with pictures and Post-it notes connected by bits of string. Except with more sequins. “Are you sure?” Fatima asks. Kids are jostling behind us, but I stand frozen in place, staring a