Title: Better Nate Than Ever
Written by: Tim Federle
Series: Nate Series, Book 1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: February 5, 2013
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Pages: 288
Source: Borrowed from Library
Buy the Book: Better Nate Than Ever
Synopsis: A small-town boy hops a bus to New York City to crash an audition for E.T.: The Musical.
Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom. (Via Amazon)
Brian’s Review: How did it take me five months to learn about this amazing book? Shaunta pointed my attention to author Tim Federle’s Dear Teen Me article (which you can read by clicking here) and I immediately fell in love with his story, and, of course, with the premise of his debut novel! I tracked down a copy and started pouring through it right away. I typically reach for the young adult book on the shelf, not the middle grade, but this one really spoke to me, and I’m so happy to report the book is every bit as fun and hopeful and sharp and hilarious as I hoped it would be.
The story tells of Nate Foster, who knows, even just in the eighth grade, that he wants to be on Broadway. But he doesn’t live in New York; he lives in small-town Jankburg, Pennsylvania. So, at just fourteen, he devises a plan, with help from his buddy Libby, to get on a bus, head to New York, and audition for what he thinks is the perfect role—Elliot, in the new Broadway spectacular, E.T. The Musical. It’s not an easy road, however. He doesn’t show up, nail the audition, and start singing and dancing on the stage. He’s going to have to work hard to get the part, and deal with varying obstacles as family members discover just what he’s up to.
Better Nate Than Ever was a brisk, entertaining read that had me laughing all the way through. It’s obvious from the get-go that Federle knows this world, and knows the kind of kid Nate is, so the writing just comes to life. Nate is such a dynamic, courageous character, a kid who has faced bullies and doubt and jokes made at his expense. We want him to succeed. So Federle is smart in giving him multiple obstacles to overcome, so we as the reader can root for him even harder throughout nearly 300 pages. The book is filled with great specific details and insider scoop about the world of Broadway casting. I worked in feature film casting in LA from 2008 to 2010, so I was fascinated to see just how different (and similar!) theater and film casting is. In 2009 I worked on a children’s film in LA, where we had multiple boys between the ages of 7 and 10 come in all day, and it was heartbreaking for me to see the kind of rejection these young kids had to deal with. Federle does a terrific job letting us know not only Nate but some of the other kids auditioning for the role of Elliot, and how much this break would mean to their lives and careers.
It’s pretty obvious from the beginning that Nate is gay, and I loved the way Federle handled this aspect to the character. While many are coming out earlier and earlier these days, even before middle school, Nate is undecided on his preference, with Federle even giving him an aside in parentheses where Nate tells the reader he’s undecided. Of course there’s a sweet, tender moment toward the end where Nate sees two boys kissing that kind of sweeps him off his feet, and we know from that point on his life is never going to be the same. There’s a balance an author has to find when dealing with homosexuality in a middle grade title that 9, 10, 11 year olds might pick up, and he handled it extremely well.
All of the supporting characters are lots of fun, too. I really loved Libby, as well as Aunt Heidi, who comes to Nate in New York to make sure he’s taken care of. She’s a former actress herself, and one who gave up on the business a long time ago. I loved the dynamic between Nate and Heidi, one who’s got his dreams in his sights, and one whose dreams are way in the past. This offers a nice piece of reality to Nate’s exciting, up-and-down journey to stardom. And while it’s not really a character, per se, having the musical be E.T. was simply a masterstroke. Not only is Elliot from the movie the perfect age for Nate to be trying out for, it’s the kind of show that’s just plausible enough that you can buy that someone would do it, and just ridiculous enough to make it a funny concept that brings an extra bit of hilarity to the novel.
Better Nate Than Ever feels in no way like a debut novel. This is an assured, extremely sharp writing debut, with Federle rising to the top of new middle grade authors (I’d love to see what he would do with a young adult, too!). If I had any criticism, I wished the last scene went on just a beat longer, but that’s a minor quibble. I look forward to the sequel, Five, Six, Seven, Nate (another great title), and checking out what lies ahead in Federle’s future. This guy’s one to watch.
