Starred Review When August's Evangelical parents refuse to accept his identity as a trans male, he flees from his small Pennsylvania hometown to New York City to live with his artist aunt Lil. Dreaming of becoming an actor, he auditions for a place at New York's prestigious School for the Performing Arts and is elated when he is accepted. Once there, he proves to be a gifted actor but, unsure of himself, finds that he is routinely lying to his new friends and inventing different parts to play in his interactions with them. But not everyone believes him. Maggie, a girl on whom he has a crush, tells him, "You're always putting on a little act." And when, unable to please his director, he finds he might lose a role in a major workshop, he is told by his teacher to "face your truth." But what is his truth, August wonders, and how can he find it? Kudos to McSmith, a playwright and trans male himself, for pointing out the paucity of theater roles for transgender actors, as well as problems of representation (cis males playing trans roles). He writes with authority, insight, and empathy. All readers interested in the intersection of theater and transgender identity will welcome this necessary book.

A trans teen stars in the show of his life.August runs from his religious family home in Pennsylvania into the loving arms of his lesbian aunt and the high-pressure environment of the School for Performing Arts in New York City. Determined to succeed as a trans actor who can play any role, he lands the part of Rizzo, who is a girl, in the school production of Grease and parties with his famous and wealthy new classmates (including a trans girl whose characterization is not well fleshed-out and who seems to exist mostly to process his trans angst). The stakes are extremely high: August wants to play Rizzo not just because he believes that he should be allowed to play any gender regardless of his identity, but because his parents will send him to conversion therapy if they think he's transitioned. In a third act that feels tacked-on, August, who is cued as White, considers an acting opportunity that closely mirrors his real life. The novel raises many valuable questions around authenticity and representation in theater and in life but never quite arrives at satisfying answers. Maddeningly repetitive prose (especially in dialogue tags, where characters sing and joke ad nauseam), unnaturally rendered exposition, and an overburdened plot mar the reading experience, which would otherwise be a fresh take on familiar themes.An off-off-off–Broadway play of a book. (content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)

Gr 9 Up-August Greene comes to terms with his gender transition in a dramatic way: he leaves home without telling his ultra-religious parents and stays with his aunt in New York City. She helps him land a spot at the most exclusive performing arts high school in town. He's presenting as male for the first time, learning a new city, jumping into high-pressure drama classes, and finding new friends, all at once. August is constantly trying out new roles and working to fit into his new life and identity, convinced that if he tries hard enough, his parents will change their minds and accept him as a boy. The story presents all of August's conflicting thoughts, which will help some readers understand how multifaceted and complicated the transgender experience can be. Suicide is discussed, as is conversion therapy, deadnaming, and other potentially triggering scenarios. The plot is also very theater-focused, so it might not appeal to those without a drama background. Some faults lie in shallow development of characters, scattered focus, and an abrupt and somewhat trite ending, but overall, this is a well-paced, unique story. VERDICT A solid purchase for a school or public library. Christine Case, Hillcrest H.S., Country Club Hills, IL