To celebrate the release of Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan on October 9th, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Jenna, plus 7 chances to win a copy of Lulu the Broadway Mouse!
A Glimpse at Lulu the Broadway Mouse
by Jenna Gavigan
Ratatouille meets Broadway in this charming new middle grade novel about a little mouse with big dreams.
Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse.
When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, Jayne and Lulu learn that sometimes dreams turn out differently than we imagined; sometimes they come with terms and conditions (aka the company mean girl, Amanda). But sometimes, just when we've given up all hope, bigger and better dreams than we'd ever thought could come true, do.
"A standing ovation for Lulu! This delightful debut serves up a sweet and sassy mouse's-eye view of life in the footlights from a real Broadway insider. Encore, please?"
―Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the Spy Mice, the Mother-Daughter Book Club, and the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series
"Jenna manages to capture the drama and tension and excitement of the theatre without ever losing the magic and joy of what it feels like to be on Broadway. Lulu's burning desire to be onstage was exactly how I felt when I was younger, and reading this book reawakened that feeling in me!"
―Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff
Buy: Amazon | Indiebound
Add on Goodreads
Jenna Gavigan, a fourth generation New Yorker, grew up dreaming of Broadway. At age sixteen she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy, opposite Bernadette Peters. Since then she's appeared in a half-dozen films, on more than a dozen television shows, and on east and west coast stages, most recently Off-Broadway in the world premiere of Straight. Jenna graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Creative Writing, where she focused on fiction, television, and screenwriting. She lives in a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment with her husband, Kevin. This is her first novel.
Follow Jenna: Website | Instagram | Twitter
by Jenna Gavigan
Oh, hello, dear reader!!
I picked this excerpt because this moment is a big one for Lulu, and, therefore, a big plot point at the beginning of her story. It’s when she finds out that her dear friend and confidante, Maya, will be leaving the show. I know it’s hard to believe, but an actor voluntarily leaving their Broadway show is a common occurrence! Oftentimes, it’s for another job. For Maya, well… read this excerpt to find out.
I picked this excerpt because this moment is a big one for Lulu, and, therefore, a big plot point at the beginning of her story. It’s when she finds out that her dear friend and confidante, Maya, will be leaving the show. I know it’s hard to believe, but an actor voluntarily leaving their Broadway show is a common occurrence! Oftentimes, it’s for another job. For Maya, well… read this excerpt to find out.
***
“You certainly are wise for your age, Lulu,” Milly says. Notice, she doesn’t say, “for a mouse.” She doesn’t see me as a mouse, as something different and, therefore, scary or unequal. She sees me as a friend. A trusted friend.
I sure am lucky to have been born into a building of special, open-minded people. I could have ended up in an apartment building or (gulp) a restaurant and this would have been a shorter, scarier, and far less amusing story.
“Can you do something for me, if you don’t mind?” Milly asks.
“Of course!” I say. I’d scurry all the way to Central Park if Milly asked. Not that I’m allowed to, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Spend a little time with Maya during the show tonight?” she says. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just pull off the metaphorical Band-Aid and say it. Maya is going to be leaving us in two weeks.”
I’m pretty sure I audibly gasp. “What? Why? What happened?” I say. If this is Amanda’s doing, so help me I will find an extra-gluten-full bagel (or something she’s actually allergic to), convince the Hooligans to carry it up to the third floor, and force feed it to her myself.
“Her parents can’t handle the drive from New Jersey anymore. They were okay with it at first because they thought she’d get to perform more often. But you know Amanda; she never misses a show.” Milly’s usual glow is fading. Like a firefly with its light out. I can tell she’s genuinely upset for Maya. I am, too. This is super duper unfair. Amanda should be the one to go. If we put this to a vote, everyone in the theatre would vote for Maya to stay. Even you would vote for Maya at this point, right? Of course, right. (That’s almost a direct quote from Yente in Fiddler on the Roof. She’s highly quotable, FYI.)
“That’s so sad. I feel so bad for her.” I peer into the dressing room. Maya is gently caressing one of the costumes, the blue sparkly one. It’s my favorite, and hers, too, I’m guessing, because she’s touching it like she loves it more than anything in the world.
Then I hear Amanda say, “Maya. Stop. You know you’re not supposed to touch the costumes unless you’re in them. That’s the rule.” Ugh. Do be quiet, Amanda. That is not the rule and you know it.
I wish I would say that. I wish Maya would say that. She should stand up for herself. Heather Huffman is always saying, “It’s necessary to teach others how you expect to be treated.” I think she’s mostly referring to boyfriends and talent agents, but I feel like it applies to mean girls as well.
But Maya says nothing. She just drops the dress. Like she’s being forced to drop a barely licked ice-cream cone in the trash or something. Dropping her dream is more like it. It’s heartbreaking to watch. And although technically I’ve never been in her shoes, I think I know how she feels. The only thing worse than losing a dream is not having a shot at it in the first place.
***
*****
Blog Tour Schedule:
October 8th – A Dream Within A Dream
October 9th – BookhoundsYA
October 10th – Crossroad Reviews
October 11th – Christy's Cozy Corners
October 12th – Word Spelunking
October 15th – Beach Bound Books
October 16th – Java John Z's
October 9th – BookhoundsYA
October 10th – Crossroad Reviews
October 11th – Christy's Cozy Corners
October 12th – Word Spelunking
October 15th – Beach Bound Books
October 16th – Java John Z's
Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse.
When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, Jayne and Lulu learn that sometimes dreams turn out differently than we imagined; sometimes they come with terms and conditions (aka the company mean girl, Amanda). But sometimes, just when we've given up all hope, bigger and better dreams than we'd ever thought could come true, do.
"A standing ovation for Lulu! This delightful debut serves up a sweet and sassy mouse's-eye view of life in the footlights from a real Broadway insider. Encore, please?"
―Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the Spy Mice, the Mother-Daughter Book Club, and the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series
"Jenna manages to capture the drama and tension and excitement of the theatre without ever losing the magic and joy of what it feels like to be on Broadway. Lulu's burning desire to be onstage was exactly how I felt when I was younger, and reading this book reawakened that feeling in me!"
―Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff
Buy: Amazon | Indiebound
Add on Goodreads
Jenna Gavigan, a fourth generation New Yorker, grew up dreaming of Broadway. At age sixteen she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy, opposite Bernadette Peters. Since then she's appeared in a half-dozen films, on more than a dozen television shows, and on east and west coast stages, most recently Off-Broadway in the world premiere of Straight. Jenna graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Creative Writing, where she focused on fiction, television, and screenwriting. She lives in a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment with her husband, Kevin. This is her first novel. Follow Jenna: Website | Instagram | Twitter
- One (1) winner will receive a copy of Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan
- US/Canada only
Yes
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThis book has a great message and sounds fun to read too. dhammelef(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI'd love a copy of Lulu! I loved reading it so much and cannot wait to share it with students! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSera Deo: deos@apcsd.org
This sounds delightful!
ReplyDeletejsmith[delete brackets]3may[delete brackets]2011
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This is such a cool looking book. Lots of kids would enjoy the story, not just kids who dream of being entertainers when they grow up. Thanks for the chance to win a copy! crs(at)codedivasites(dot)com
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