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Audition Trilogy #3
The Competition
Bunheads meets The Kicks in this third novel in this entertaining middle grade series from New York Times bestselling author, dancer, model, and actress Maddie Ziegler!
Harper and her fellow Dance Starz are headed to New York City for the big national competition! Not only will they be up against their arch-rivals, the Belles, but Harper will also face off against her old dance team. Does Harper have what it takes to finally prove that she belongs on the big stage?
Harper and her fellow Dance Starz are headed to New York City for the big national competition! Not only will they be up against their arch-rivals, the Belles, but Harper will also face off against her old dance team. Does Harper have what it takes to finally prove that she belongs on the big stage?
- GenresMiddle Grade
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2019
82 people are currently reading
433 people want to read
About the author
Maddie Ziegler
8 books358 followersMadison Nicole Ziegler, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 30, 2002, is a professional dancer and actress. She was one of the stars of Lifetime’s Dance Moms for six seasons, and was the lead dancer in Sia’s critically acclaimed music videos “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart,” and “Big Girls Cry.” Maddie is a judge on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation and stars in the film The Book of Henry.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 9, 2020
A satisfying and insightful conclusion to this trilogy. Loved the setting in NYC and the sights the girls saw in addition to their competition--especially the visit to the Rockettes. That sounds like SO much fun. It was enlightening to watch Harper struggle with her dance team allegiances. With her old team from Connecticut and her former bestie Eliza at the competition, her two worlds were sometimes in conflict. Watching her learn how to deal with those in the minute decisions reflected her character development. My only negative comment would be the large number of times the phrase "cracked up" was used. I did not notice it with the earlier two books, but it really stood out to me in this one.
April 4, 2021
DNF @ 24% - AHHH SO HORRID AND STUPID!!!!!!!!!! HOW DO PEOPLE GET THROUGH THISSSS AHHHH SO STUPID AND CHEESY AND I CAN'T SAY IT IT'S TOO BAD. I HATE THIS WITH MY SOUL. I ALMOST SET THIS BOOK ON FIRE. I NEED TO BUY A NEW LIGHTER. I HAVE BURNED THIS AND THREW IT IN THE GARBAGE. MY KITTEN HAS NOW PEED ON IT. THANK YOU.
October 18, 2023
i clearly would’ve loved this if I was still in the target age range. this was very wholesome and a fun book and obviously about dance so I liked it. I love reading kids books they’re so quick and easy although there were quite a few mistakes I noticed cough cough she said harper instead of megan that’s awkward. also the writing style and pettiness was obviously aimed towards the younger audience but I still enjoyed would recommend. i’m glad I finished the series finally lol
January 16, 2022
saw this on my shelf and decided i felt like reading a light, fun middle grade book before diving into a murder mystery. i loved the first two when i was younger, but this was pretty cheesy lol. a cute and quick read.
May 30, 2019
Predictable
January 15, 2021
Not as good as the previous two.
July 30, 2025
-4.7 stars ⭐️
What is The Competition by Maddie Ziegler About?
The time has come for Harper and her squad members to go to New York City to compete in Nationals, the biggest dance competition event of the year! But the problem is that not only will they be competing against their rivals- The Bells, but Harper’s old dance team which includes her BFF Eliza from her old hometown Connecticut.
Harper is surprised to see how much the competition comes between her Eliza and the DanceStarz squad. But amidst all the drama Harper clings onto the hope that she will be one of the few lucky people who will be picked by agents and be able to live out their dance dreams.
From hanging out with her friends or rehearsing the dances, Harper is ready to make her mark at this year’s Nationals competition. With the help of her friends, Harper might be able to find a way to be noticed on the biggest stage that she has performed on yet.
Who are the Main Characters in The Callback?
Harper McCoy
Is the main character and is featured on the front of the book. She moved from Connecticut to Florida, having to change dance studios in the previous book. Harper has two siblings, Jack and Hayley her brother Jack is older, and Hayley is younger.
Megan Snow
Megan was the original member of the DanceStarz studio in Florida. Megan, Riley, and Trina formed the clique known as The Bunheads when they were in the minis classes.
Lily Hu
Lily was new to Florida and DanceStarz as well and she joined her first-ever competition team.
Riley Rosen
Riley was the second person to join DanceStarz and still is Megan’s best friend.
Trina Uba
Trina has danced with Riley and Megan since they were minis and still does. Tap is her favorite style of dance.
Eliza
Eliza is Harper’s old bestie from Connecticut and still is. They bonded over their love of dance and had known each other for a few years before they were friends.
Miss Vanessa
The head dance instructor at Dance Starz for the lyrical class, contemporary class, and Competition teams.
Mrs. McCoy
Is Harper, Hayley, and Jack’s Mother.
Hayley McCoy
Is Harper’s little sister who dances around a lot and is a very good singer.
Mrs. Snow
The mother of Megan Snow. Who is very competitive with the other girl’s moms
Quinn Rosen
The little sister of Riley. She is also Hayley’s best friend.
Mrs. Hu, & Mr. Hu
The proud parents of Lily Hu.
Isabelle James & Bella Martinez
The Belles. Ex-best friends of the bunheads (Megan, Riley, and Trina). They started off as dancers from Dance Starz, but when Vanessa said that they might not be right for being in the squad, they got angry and tried to get revenge by joining Energii.
Jack McCoy
Harper and Hayley’s older brother who is in college.
Where is the story mainly set?
Most of the action occurs in the hotel where Harper and the team are staying. You also get to read about the Rockefeller center and a hip-hop dance studio in New York. The story is also set in numerous locations where the rounds of nationals are held.
What I liked most about The Competition?
What I liked the most about The Competition was that the national competition was held in New York City and that one of their nationals competition costumes was on the front cover of the book.
What I liked least about The Competition?
I would have loved for there to have been more detail about the actual venues, as well as what else was happening at/to the competitions, and costumes.
My Rating of this book out of five stars!
I rate this book 4.7 stars because, in my opinion, this book was even better than the first and second books in this series as there was more depth to each character’s personality as well as why they act as they do and I felt Maddie had more experience as an author after writing a few other books before writing the competition writer.
What is The Competition by Maddie Ziegler About?
The time has come for Harper and her squad members to go to New York City to compete in Nationals, the biggest dance competition event of the year! But the problem is that not only will they be competing against their rivals- The Bells, but Harper’s old dance team which includes her BFF Eliza from her old hometown Connecticut.
Harper is surprised to see how much the competition comes between her Eliza and the DanceStarz squad. But amidst all the drama Harper clings onto the hope that she will be one of the few lucky people who will be picked by agents and be able to live out their dance dreams.
From hanging out with her friends or rehearsing the dances, Harper is ready to make her mark at this year’s Nationals competition. With the help of her friends, Harper might be able to find a way to be noticed on the biggest stage that she has performed on yet.
Who are the Main Characters in The Callback?
Harper McCoy
Is the main character and is featured on the front of the book. She moved from Connecticut to Florida, having to change dance studios in the previous book. Harper has two siblings, Jack and Hayley her brother Jack is older, and Hayley is younger.
Megan Snow
Megan was the original member of the DanceStarz studio in Florida. Megan, Riley, and Trina formed the clique known as The Bunheads when they were in the minis classes.
Lily Hu
Lily was new to Florida and DanceStarz as well and she joined her first-ever competition team.
Riley Rosen
Riley was the second person to join DanceStarz and still is Megan’s best friend.
Trina Uba
Trina has danced with Riley and Megan since they were minis and still does. Tap is her favorite style of dance.
Eliza
Eliza is Harper’s old bestie from Connecticut and still is. They bonded over their love of dance and had known each other for a few years before they were friends.
Miss Vanessa
The head dance instructor at Dance Starz for the lyrical class, contemporary class, and Competition teams.
Mrs. McCoy
Is Harper, Hayley, and Jack’s Mother.
Hayley McCoy
Is Harper’s little sister who dances around a lot and is a very good singer.
Mrs. Snow
The mother of Megan Snow. Who is very competitive with the other girl’s moms
Quinn Rosen
The little sister of Riley. She is also Hayley’s best friend.
Mrs. Hu, & Mr. Hu
The proud parents of Lily Hu.
Isabelle James & Bella Martinez
The Belles. Ex-best friends of the bunheads (Megan, Riley, and Trina). They started off as dancers from Dance Starz, but when Vanessa said that they might not be right for being in the squad, they got angry and tried to get revenge by joining Energii.
Jack McCoy
Harper and Hayley’s older brother who is in college.
Where is the story mainly set?
Most of the action occurs in the hotel where Harper and the team are staying. You also get to read about the Rockefeller center and a hip-hop dance studio in New York. The story is also set in numerous locations where the rounds of nationals are held.
What I liked most about The Competition?
What I liked the most about The Competition was that the national competition was held in New York City and that one of their nationals competition costumes was on the front cover of the book.
What I liked least about The Competition?
I would have loved for there to have been more detail about the actual venues, as well as what else was happening at/to the competitions, and costumes.
My Rating of this book out of five stars!
I rate this book 4.7 stars because, in my opinion, this book was even better than the first and second books in this series as there was more depth to each character’s personality as well as why they act as they do and I felt Maddie had more experience as an author after writing a few other books before writing the competition writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2021
The Competition is Maddie Ziegler's 3 and final book the audition trilogy and her 4th book overall.
This book focuses on how Harper and her new friends at Dance Starz head to New York for a competition, they will be once again going head to head with The Belles. There's also something else though, Harper is going face to face with her old teammates.
It's a middle grade but for a middle grade, I didn't mind the writing and I can see why people think it cheesy but cheesy books are good, it also can be viewed as that because of the reviewer's age, we have to take into consideration what the age target is.
It's got some good morals when it comes to teamwork and the book values friendship considerably, it's short and a bit predictable and I'm not in the middle-grade target age (just a little bit out of it) and could still overlook this and enjoy. If parents worry about kids reading inappropriate books or smutty books, they can be rest assured that this book is appropriate.
I am interested to see what Maddie writes next because I have enjoyed all of her books so far.
This book focuses on how Harper and her new friends at Dance Starz head to New York for a competition, they will be once again going head to head with The Belles. There's also something else though, Harper is going face to face with her old teammates.
It's a middle grade but for a middle grade, I didn't mind the writing and I can see why people think it cheesy but cheesy books are good, it also can be viewed as that because of the reviewer's age, we have to take into consideration what the age target is.
It's got some good morals when it comes to teamwork and the book values friendship considerably, it's short and a bit predictable and I'm not in the middle-grade target age (just a little bit out of it) and could still overlook this and enjoy. If parents worry about kids reading inappropriate books or smutty books, they can be rest assured that this book is appropriate.
I am interested to see what Maddie writes next because I have enjoyed all of her books so far.
November 9, 2022
As a competitive dancer, I really liked this book! This is a great book to read if you are looking for a fun, cute, and quick read just to enjoy! The plot was interesting and engaging and the characters were likeable for the most part. Yes, the writing is a bit underwhelming, not very advanced, and can be cheesy at times, but it's important to keep in mind that this is a celebrity writer who wrote this book, not an actual author who writes books for a living. I would recommend this book to younger readers, maybe in 3rd-5th grade. Overall, a good book! Well done, Maddie Ziegler!
February 21, 2020
So cute!!!! Great book for dancers and anyone who's a fan of the stage. Harper's friendships join together when she goes to New York to compete at Nationals. The relationship between Harper and the other Bunheads grows stronger in a way. My favorite part is when Harper thinks Eliza was upset but Eliza just didn't know she didn't actually respond. Love the book! Love the series! Love Maddie Ziegler in general!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2020
This was a very good book! It was very exciting and te series was very enjoyable to read. I recommend starting with book 1 and then 2 and then reading number three. As in most series it makes more sense this way. The big New York journey was very exciting and I loved this book! I definitely reccomend it to girls around 10- 13.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
This book was a great finish to the trilogy and I hope there is more!
March 13, 2020
An amazing end to a great series.
June 15, 2020
Loved it
This is an amazing book especially for kids with dance as there passions. I also love the other two books in this series the audition and the callback
This is an amazing book especially for kids with dance as there passions. I also love the other two books in this series the audition and the callback
November 18, 2020
I Love the book .all three and i want more!
April 24, 2021
A fun middle grade about teamwork and the importance of friendships. I really had a great time reading this trilogy and highly recommend it
May 3, 2021
Good!
July 23, 2021
2.5 stars - rounded up
about what i expected. it wasn't completely terrible, but not that great either.
pre-read
found this book lying around and decided to reread it for the 'ballroom' prompt in the 'give us a clue' challenge from the group '2021 reading challenge'
don't remember it being anything special; guessing it'll be around a three- or two-star
about what i expected. it wasn't completely terrible, but not that great either.
pre-read
found this book lying around and decided to reread it for the 'ballroom' prompt in the 'give us a clue' challenge from the group '2021 reading challenge'
don't remember it being anything special; guessing it'll be around a three- or two-star
Read
January 31, 2022⁉桴畯桧⁴潹⁵潷汵敢椠瑮牥獥整湩琠楨瑳牯⁹⁉潦湵湯䴠乓›楖瑣浩漠㠤䴰䌠祲瑰桔晥ⱴ䐠䙥汐瑡潦浲儠扵瑩敂獧䠠捡敫獲映牯椠獴䴠湯祥䈠捡瑨灴㩳⼯獭潣⽭支獵䄯呁兩婺漿楣㵤楷灮猭
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April 13, 2024Don’t ask why I reread these 😬
January 3, 2025
It was awesome. All about dancing
July 15, 2025
i don’t even remember my ranking for this book nor what happens in it. i’m just thankful it’s over.
July 18, 2025
My favorite book ever!💕
October 31, 2024
idk i read this bc i had nothing else to read😭😭😭 it was lowk good tho
June 13, 2022
I loved this book sm! I like how they were closer in this book than the others, although I felt so sorry for Harper when she was feeling like she had to choose sides. I mean, she made an honest mistake. We’ve all done it before, I once said my grandparents village instead of mine by accident when someone asked where I lived lol.
February 24, 2025
my review of the series:
good for an easy, quick, fun read. It was underwhelming and i didnt exactly feel motivted to finish but for a 14 yr old girl who isnt a writer its good and i thought the dance aspect was good
good for an easy, quick, fun read. It was underwhelming and i didnt exactly feel motivted to finish but for a 14 yr old girl who isnt a writer its good and i thought the dance aspect was good
December 12, 2020
Nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2022
DNF @ 24% - SOOO CHEESY!! I couldn't take it anymore!! Definitely worse than the first 2 books.
July 22, 2025
It’s a very good book! This book is not only for dance lovers, but also for people who need a little inside look on friendship.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews