The only thing Kat loves as much as she loves her best friend Stevie is theater much she wants to go to an acting conservatory after they graduate in the spring. Everything, she thinks, hinges on the casting of their fall performance of King Lear. But Stevie, despite her acting talents, doesn't seem as devoted; Kat worries Stevie is distracted by her ex-boyfriend, her plans for the future, and her dad's new family. When Stevie's dad bails on her birthday dinner in Manhattan, Kat seizes her chance, whisking the two of them away for a not-parent-approved jaunt into the city. But the adventure quickly becomes a comedy of errors as they find themselves phoneless, short on cash, stuck with a Pomeranian named Brad, and ultimately separated. A hilariously outrageous B plot helps keep Kat and Stevie's adventures in perspective as they crisscross Manhattan, testing old bonds and forging new ones. Matson (Save the Date, 2018) delivers another high-energy contemporary adventure that's bursting with drama, and readers will happily join in for the fun.

On the day the cast list for the school play should be up, but isn-t, Kat decides to ensure she-s cast by persuading best friend Stevie to travel from their affluent Connect-

Gr 7 Up-After the cast list for the fall play isn't posted and Stevie's birthday night out with her dad is canceled, best friends and theater kids Kat and Stevie sneak off to NYC together unsupervised. When they run into Stevie's stepsister at Grand Central she asks them to run a quick errand for her, but a comedy of errors lands them outside of her apartment with her dog but no key. Their quest to locate a spare key leads to more misadventures: Stevie's phone falls on the subway tracks and is crushed, then the girls are separated, and Stevie is almost mugged. Their separate escapades over the next few hours, and more when they reconnect, are too fantastical to feel real. They meet celebrities, run into friends and relatives, and see multiple amazing sights. The friend maintaining their cover story back in Connecticut, Teri, ends up babysitting, then gets herself and the kids kidnapped and involved with the CIA. Stevie and Kat's friendship feels solid, honest, and real. The events of the evening, however, feel contrived and false. Each character is carefully crafted and easily distinguishable, no small feat with the size of this cast. The writing is excellent and draws in the reader with details. Kat is white, Stevie has olive skin, and Teri has a Chinese surname. VERDICT A fun romp for readers who love theater and don't mind suspending their disbelief. Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township H.S., Cape May Court House, NJ