Friday Night Stage Lights

by Rachele Alpine

THE CUTTING EDGE meets STEP UP in this hilarious M!X novel where the worlds of football and ballet collide.

Brooklyn Gartner eats, sleeps, and breathes ballet. But after her mom gets remarried and moves them to Texas, everything changes. Thanks to her star football player stepbrother, her family is football obsessed. And thanks to a new conditioning program, the middle school football team starts to take classes at her dance studio—the only place Brooklyn felt like she belonged.

She has a chance to escape if she can get into her dream high school, The Texas School of the Arts, where she’ll be able to pursue her passion for dance. Brooklyn just has to get through the big All-City showcase first, where a ton of scouts will be there, including one from TSOTA.

But when Brooklyn’s dance partner gets injured, she has to turn to an unexpected ally—Logan, a boy on the middle school football team—to help her get through the showcase. With some fancy footwork, teamwork and a little understanding, can Brooklyn make her mark, and dance her way onto a bigger stage?

Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Sports, Family, Football

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2018

About the author

Rachele Alpine is a lover of binge watching reality TV, dogs, knitting, gummy peaches, and lots and lots of coffee!

One of her first jobs was at a library, but it didn't last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she's a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit.

By day she's a high school English teacher, by night she's a mom and wife, and she writes during any time she can find in between!

Rachele lives with her husband and son in Cleveland, Ohio, but dreams of moving back to Boston, the city she fell in love with while attending graduate school there.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing this with the coverage of our Chiefs Super Bowl win in the background. Perhaps that football connection has extended its glow to this book. After all, Patrick Mahomes is a Texas boy. The cover of this book is perfect! I love the depiction of ballet vs football and how the book worked through that theme. It also helps that one of my sons took some ballet classes in high school to improve his soccer game. Really loved Brooklyn and her family as well as the relationship challenges she works through in the book. Highly recommended!

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my general lack of interest in middle grade, I wanted to read Friday Night Stage Lights for one reason: that adorable cover which hinted at the possibility of a super cute hate to love middle grade ship. Turns out, I was absolutely wrong about that, but the book was good I didn't even mind the lack of romance.

Brooklyn and her mom moved to Texas to live with her new stepdad and stepbrother. She likes them fine, and she's glad her mom's happy, but she hates that they were the ones who had to move just because her stepbrother is some high school football superstar. For that, she was forced to move away from all of her friends and work on her ballet somewhere new.

Brooklyn has so many emotional arcs in this book, and it's truly a thing of beauty. She makes new friends (without losing her old bestie, which isn't something you see a lot of). She bonds with her stepbrother enough to actually consider him a real brother. Her relationship with her mom undergoes some needed TLC. She befriends a football player and learns that maybe it's not the worst thing in the world after all (and the football team learns that ballet is fucking hard).

Most importantly, Brooklyn has an internal emotional arc. After a disastrous solo attempt, she's afraid to perform alone and audition for TSOTA (Texas School of the Arts, which would help put her on track for her goal of Juilliard). Brooklyn needs to rediscover her true love of dance and her confidence with her own talent.

This was a great middle grade. I read it straight through and had a lot of fun. There are great emotional arcs and it deals with subjects a lot of kids go through in a really hopeful way.

[Rachele Alpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such fun writing this book....I hope you all love it as much as I do! Happy reading!!! : )

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @kidlitexchange & @simonkids for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This middle grade book is incredibly sweet, easy to read and will appeal to various readers. Brooklyn recently moved to Texas. She misses her friends and is adjusting to life in a new town with a new stepdad and stepbrother. She’s also trying to understand why everyone is so obsessed with football. The only thing keeping her sane is her new dance studio. Dancing is Brooklyn’s passion and she is currently rehearsing for a very important audition. So what happens when the coach of the local middle school team enrolls his boys at the studio for a new conditioning program? Dance and football collide and teach quite a few people some valuable lessons along the way.

I really enjoyed this cute story. I grew up in Texas where Friday Night Lights was indeed taken very seriously. I on the other hand spent nine years of my life at the dance studio taking ballet, tap, jazz and pointe several times a week. I could easily relate to this story and loved watching the two worlds come together. There were some great points about how no matter what sport you focus on, you are equally a great athlete because you put in the time and dedication to practice. This story featured some really sweet, positive boy girl friendships which is always wonderful to see. It also touches on stepfamilies, pressure to perform, not focusing on just one talent/interest, lying, social media obsession and not being too quick casting opinions when trying something new. I really enjoyed the storyline with her parents as well - great reminder to always be open about your thoughts and feelings.

I would let my 8 year old read this book in a heartbeat and will definitely recommend it to many of her friends. It’s set to hit shelves 9.18.18.

[Mary Elizabeth Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friday Night Stage Lights is one of the BEST junior novels I have read in a LONG time. The cover is ADORABLE. The characters face TRUE difficulties that middle school and high school kids face and handle them AUTHENTICALLY and with grace. The family dynamics are REAL and enjoyable to read. The focus on ACHIEVING OUR DREAMS without compromising our values is truthfully told. The novel is completely CLEAN with nothing inappropriate to justify away. I love, love, loved this book!! It's a FANTASTIC book for readers of all ages!

[Patrícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

[Libby Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay this book gets two ratings--for the target, tween audience I would give it a 3-3.5 and as an elementary school librarian I would recommend it to readers. For my own personal review 2-2.5. The writing was way too much telling instead of showing and the ending was completely unbelievable (except for tween readers who will love it). So, yes, it is a great new one for me to recommend to kids. Did I love it? No.

Brooklyn Gartner hates football. When her mother remarries, Brooklyn and her mother relocate from their home in Oregon to Leighton, Texas. Brooklyn has to give up her friends, her ballet studio, and everything she loves, all because her new stepbrother is a star football player--and in Leighton, football is life. If that isn’t enough, now the middle school football team has invaded her refuge, the Center Stage Dance Studio. Their coach insists dance conditioning practice will improve their football.

Brooklyn is beyond angry, but when her dance partner is injured, she might just have to rely on one of those football players to get her out of a tough spot. This football/ballet showdown is a perfect fit for tween readers. While sports are at the center, it is also a good story about understanding, forgiveness, and the importance of family and friendship.

Recommended ages--10-12 years old

[Laura Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

#kidlitexchange #partner
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⭐️
Finished this adorable 4⭐️ #mglit book yesterday. Thanks to @simonkids for the free book!
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⭐️
Ballerina Brooklyn doesn’t respect football and the football players in this small TX town don’t respect ballet. All that changes when the middle school football team is forced to take ballet to help with conditioning.
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⭐️
This book is a sweet, quick read that features multiple boy-girl friendships and virtually no romance, which is refreshing. The conversations and situations (including some #socialmedia drama) are believable and well-written. Hooray for the @bluebellicecream mention, too! (My hubby and I served it at our #Mississippi wedding 13 years ago. ❤️). Buy this one for ages 9+. Perfect for kids obsessed with ballet!
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⭐️
#bookstagram #book #reading #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaholic #booknerd #bookgram #librarian #librariansfollowlibrarians #librariansofinstagram #booklove #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookish #bookaddict #booknerdigans #booknerd #ilovereading #instabook #futurereadylibs #ISTElibs #TLChat #mgbooks

[Grace Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I say this about a lot of books but this time I REALLY mean it, l couldn't put this book down.I also really liked you throw like a girl.😀😁😄

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great mix of football and ballet with lessons learned on both sides. For my full review, visit http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at https://bickeringbooks.wordpress.com/...

Note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Middle schooler, Brooklyn Gartner’s whole life is ballet. Brooklyn has spent every spare moment practice and dreaming of being a professional dancer. However, when Brooklyn’s mother remarries and moved her to Texas she has to adjust to life in a town where football is king and ballet is just a hobby. Brooklyn finds salvation at a local dance studio with a new dance partner, Jayden. The two are on path to get noticed by an elite arts high school but Brooklyn’s life is derailed again when Jayden breaks his leg and she loses her partner. Enter Logan, a middle school football player, who is using ballet to improve his game. The two team up for the showcase and in the process may learn about more about each there.

Review: I was a little surprised by this book. I have only read one other book by Rachele Alpine and I really wasn’t a fan.However, I found something sort of sweet about Friday Night Stage Lights. This book feels like a classic tween book and more than a little bit like a Disney Channel movie. The main character is dealing with a new family while also dealing with friend drama and maybe a little bit of boy issues. These are the bones of any classic YA story. Plus, Alpine decision to focus on Brooklyn desire to be a professional dancer gave the character an extra dimension you don’t always see with characters in tween books. Also, making Brooklyn move beyond you basic middle grade main character is the evolution of her life in her new Texan home. Her stumbles and slow success makes her feel a little more real especially the slowly change relationship with her stepbrother, Tanner, as they moved from strangers to family. There is a tween reader out there who is experiencing exactly what Brooklyn is going through which makes this book feel a little special. However, there were a few aspects of this book that I found a wee bit disappointing. Brooklyn never really had any kind of connection with her new stepfather which seemed odd considering how much she and Tanner connected. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled with the conclusion to the storyline revolving around a betrayal by her friend Mia. Yet, even with those issue “Friday Night Stage Lights” is a cute tween novel that will appeal to pre-teens looking for realistic fiction minus the unnecessary drama.

[Janelle Hackbarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What first made me want to read this book was the sports (football and ballet) and the author. I enjoyed her last sports middle grade book, You Throw Like a Girl.

I got an advanced copy of this book from Edelweiss Plus in exchange for a review.

I throughly enjoyed the Texas setting, the sports, characters, and everything else about this book. Throughout the book, I could see Brooklyn (main character) growing from not wanting much to do with her new family and loneliness to... (no spoilers here). It's good for sports lovers (though it doesn't get too detailed with the technical terms), moving-to-a-new-place-recently feel, and little good surprises along the way

Good middle grade book

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this wasn't my favorite, there were some things I liked about it. I liked how both Brooklyn and Logan were able to learn to respect each other's dedication, and I liked the development happening with Tanner and Brooklyn's relationship. I also liked that this book did not become a football player/dancer romance. However, I felt like it dragged on for way too long, and it seemed like every other chapter was just another argument about why ballet is better than football. I also don't think Brooklyn should've forgiven Mia or not danced with Logan; I don't think that her choosing to do a dance with a partner was really a coward move like it was made out to be. Overall, not the best, but I didn't hate it either.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Delightful! I think my favorite part was the way Brooklyn's relationship developed with her step-brother. The dance and football pieces worked well together, and the whole cast of characters was terrific. And I learned something, too - all about Texas Homecoming Mums. Highly recommend.

[Gabrielle G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took them so long to get to the point. I didn't have the patience.

[Srutha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Brooklyn. Brooklyn eats, sleeps and breathes ballet. Her mom soon falls in love and gets married with a man named Stephen who has a son named Tanner. Tanner is a really great football player and might go on to play football in collage, so Brooklyn had to move to Leighton a town in Texas that is obsessed with Football. All Brooklyn wants to do is get into her dream high school, Texas School of the Arts, but in order to get into TSOTA, Brooklyn needs to shine in the All - City Showcase.
Brooklyn and her partner Jayden has a dance ready to impress the judges, but then Jayden breaks his leg and can't dance with Brooklyn in the All - City Showcase. Brooklyn does not want to dance her solo, so her dance teacher, Mary Rose comes up with a solution. She thinks that one of the boy from the Leighton Middle school football team, Logan, could learn all the steps to the dance. When Brooklyn asks Logan, they make a deal that Logan will learn the dance and Brooklyn will try to like football. The Leighton high school football team goes to play in the championships, but the championships on Saturday and the All - City showcase is also on Saturday, so Logan won't be able to dance with Brooklyn. Brooklyn almost gives up on dancing in the showcase, but fortunately didn't. Brooklyn finally found the courage to dance her solo. Before she left, one of the scouts from TSOTA said they let her become a student at TSOTA. The Leighton high school had won the championships!
This book shows how Brooklyn doesn't give up and how she chased her dreams.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday Night Stage Lights by Rachele Alpine, 333 pages. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster), 2018 $17.99. Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Brooklyn loves Ballet, and she is very good. When her mother remarried, and they moved to Texas, they built a dance studio in the basement for her. She'll be going to high school next year and wants to get into the prestigious Texas School of the Arts, but when her partner in the pas de deux breaks his leg, she asks one of the middle school football players to learn the dance and be her partner. He agrees only if she will let him try to make her a football fan. Brooklyn HATES football! Her new stepbrother is the hero of the high school team and the whole town seems obsessed with football, but Brooklyn is desperate, so she agrees. Maybe ballet and football have more in common than she thinks.

So many of these Aladdin mix books are girl centered, it's great to see one I can recommend to the boys as well. A great mix of football and ballet with lessons learned on both sides, especially, "When you give people a chance, they end up surprising you!" I think the same thing applies to books.

Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adult rating: 3 stars
Kid rating: 4 stars

I love the original plot about boys and girls switching gender roles. I was initially going to give it 4 stars, but it dragged on too long and I lost interest.

Everyone in Texas loves football. When Brooklyn's new stepbrother turns out to be a football star, it's no surprise that her mom chooses football over dance. It's goodbye Oregon, hello Texas. Brooklyn could care less about Texas and Friday night football. All she cares about is perfecting her dance for the Texas School of Arts dance competition. Things look promising until her partner suffers an injury and won't be able to compete. Her only hope is one of the football players in the balance and coordination improvement class. Logan agrees to learn ballet if she'll learn football. Both learn valuable lessons by the end. Logan stands up to the guys who tease him and Brooklyn gains the confidence she needs to dance solo. She also comes to appreciate her new family and home in Texas.

Not as good as You Throw Like a Girl. Unfortunately, too darn long.

[ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very great book ngl. It really inspires people to do what they love and what they are passionate about and to not give up on what we like to do. Not only that, the main character of this book which is Brooklyn learned how to cope with his stepfather and stepbrother which is a good thing because at first she was sometimes jealous with his stepbrother, Tanner, because her mom is always focusing and cheering for football, which is Tanner's favourite sport and Brooklyn felt left out. But in the end, they were close and is willing to help each other out. Brooklyn's friends was very helpful and believe that Brooklyn can get a offer to go to her dream school, TSOTA, her friends like Logan, Mia, Jayden and her family cheered and encouraged her to dance on the Showcase which makes her really nervous, but her friends' words made her feel not nervous when she's dancing on the stage. In the end, she got an offer to get into TSOTA. I really love this book, I hope that this book never ends. If i got time, I probably will read this amazing book again when im older :)

[Yames Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🍭🍭🍭🍭

What a great book about family and friendship. It surprised me that there was no element of crush or romance but the focal point is about finding your place in the world and how family sometimes is chosen and friendship surprises you in unexpected people.

Tanner (the stepbrother) and Logan (the enemy-to-friend) we’re great guys. Jocks from Texas who lived for football but they were loyal and cared about Brooklyn.

Brooklyn, the MFC was a very whiny girl at the beginning of the book, a bit self-centered and always thinking about herself. I kept reminding myself that she was a teenager, but then, she became the perfect example of character growth.

It was great reading her journey and how she grew up, discovered family love and good friends in the least expected place. 💜

This is a cool book for teens and people who surrounds them.

[Flávia Clemente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu comprei esse livro pela capa, 100%! Passei no sebo perto do trabalho e ele tava lá esperando por mim!

A leitura é super adolescente, mas é uma delicinha! Se fosse brasileiro, poderia ser um livro da Thalita ou da Luly facilmente. Apesar da capa, o livro não é um romance, o que não me frustrou nem um pouco! É sobre uma menina que quer passar na audição pra uma escola de artes, mas o parceiro dela se machuca e ela acaba tendo ajuda de um outro aluno, jogador de futebol americano, pra poder fazer o pas de deux dela. Aborda de maneira bem legal a relação da Brooklyn com os amigos, a mãe e o meio irmão, e com ela mesma e o ballet! E adorei que meu namorado me ensinou as regras do futebol americano, então quando mencionava os jogos eu entendia tudo hahah.

Uma leitura bem gostosinha e leve, bem adolescente daquele jeito bom! Adorei!

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chrome crashed, and I lost the in-depth review I had written for this. It is a magnificent milddle-grade book from which any of my older granddaughters would profit. The author is wonderfully skilled at creating characters who interest you and keep you reading. She writes with a highly enjoyable style and looks at issues like sopcial media and step family blending. I'm so sorry I lost somehow that other review; it was significantly better than this. I was a fan of young Brooklyn Gartner from the first page I admired her courage and tenacity and her innate decency. You know an author has succeeded when she presents you with a character and you can say within the first two pages that this person should be real.

[Bookish Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tarde mucho en leerlo porque el inicio es un tanto lento entonces perdí el interés y lo dejé de lado por un tiempo, pero sí lo lees de corrido considero que es muy rápido de leer, si no eres desesperado como yo.
Es un libro para adolescentes, me gusta como Brooklyn es bastante relatable, inclusive yo que ya estoy un poco más grande me sigo identificando con sus miedos, son miedos muy comunes que muchas veces no están bien representados y considero que su personaje lo hizo muy bien. También es una adolescente muy real, sin necesidad de ser suprema mente grosera con todo el mundo, refleja un lado de la adolescencia.
Y por último diré que me encanta como resalta la importancia de la amistad y de la familia. 🫶

[Ginette Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday Night Stage Lights by Rachele Alpine shows the perspective of ballet loving girl, Brooklyn Gartner. In her small Texan city, everybody is obsessed with football, except Brooklyn. This book was very enjoyable for me because I love ballet and I understand the feeling of everyone by you being obsessed in a certain sport that you just can't understand. Like Brooklyn, my family loves a sport, basketball in our case, and I just don't like it and don't understand the point of it. This book is good for a reader who wants a book they can relate to and not feel so far away from. -Danielle 6th grade

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 4.5 stars!!

I really love middle grade books simply because they're unique and authors are able to grasp important/hard topics that people can experience in life and turn it into something sweet and relatable. This story was just that.
This book stars around Brooklyn, an 8th grader who has a passion and love for dancing. She goes through bumps and walls on the road...

This book shows the importance of family and friendship, that we all work hard, it's ok to give things/people chances, not everyone is horrible, and that home doesn't need to be a place or a location...

I enjoyed this book and I like the Texan culture!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING!! I am usually a superfast reader but this book took me five days to read. It has a good amount of pages for a 10 year old and I enjoyed reading it. In several parts I was so sad, I almost started to cry. In some of the parts I was so....like as if I was the main character, Brooklyn. She made a mistake by lying to almost everyone, but really, who doesn't want to go to TSOTA, Texas School Of The Arts. If I was to recommend a book to the world, it would be this one, NO HESITATION. Rachele Alpine, you are so skilled!!

[Morgan Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute middle grade about dance. I love that it was NOT a romance and how focused Brooklyn was on getting into dance school. I liked the development of Brooklyn and Tanner’s relationship. It really showed how difficult it can be for children in blended families to suddenly become siblings. I only wish Brooklyn and Logan performed their duet at the end. Logan worked so hard and I thought it was a shame that he never got to perform.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated reading, then I found this book lying on a shelf at Barns and Noble, I slowly picked it up and started reading. We got the book and in maybe 2-3 months I finished it. Now I'm looking for books that are recommended by Rachele Alpine.

~Thank you Rachele Alpine!

[Lainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friday Night Stage Lights by Rachele Alpine was a book I truly enjoyed reading. I loved the storyline and all the characters.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and refreshing and just overall wholesome!!! <3