Cut Loose!

The Chance to Fly #2

by Ali Stroker, Stacy Davidowitz

The showstopping sequel to The Chance to Fly, which New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer called “unique, inspirational, and full of heart,” Cut Loose! by Tony Award–winner Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is an uplifting story about embracing your strengths, standing out, and standing up for what you believe in.
 
It’s the beginning of eighth grade, and Nat Beacon is nervous. Not only will she be the New Kid, but the New Kid in a Wheelchair. And the school year starts off No one seems friendly, and she can’t get to the cafeteria without help. But there are a few bright spots. Namely, her best friend, Hudson; her boyfriend (swoon!), Malik; and her very favorite theater. This year, there’s a middle school theater competition, and any production that wins their regional competition will get the chance to perform—on a real Broadway stage!
 
Nat couldn’t be more excited. This is her chance to make it big and prove she belongs at her new school! She wows the director and gets cast in the school Footloose! But rehearsals are super stressful. Dance diva Skye wants more complex choreography, Malik keeps flaking for band practice, and Hudson gives Nat the cold shoulder, leaving Nat confused and alone. Nat starts to wonder whether she can really carry the show to Broadway and whether, without her friends, it’s worth doing theater at all.

Genres: Middle Grade, Disability, Music, Young Adult, Theatre, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This such a cute book for all the theatre kids in your life. Very sweet and earnest and formulaic. Fantastic disability representation and a real thought sparker around accessibility and what that can and should look like.

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 26, 2024 - Review:

Ngl, I was mildly disappointed that there wasn't nearly as much singing in this audiobook (compared to the first book, which was amazing).

Nonetheless, this #OwnVoices middle-grade book about Nat, a girl in a wheelchair, breaking down barriers in music theatre, was still great. It had fantastic character development as Nat learns how to fit in in a new school environment (a new middle school), how to be a good friend, and how to manage the pressure of rehearsing and competing in a music theatre competition. This means that, once again, Nat has to prove to everyone that she can dance in an ensemble.


September 21, 2023 - Pre-Review:
The Chance to Fly was one of my favourite audiobooks that I listened to last year (and quite possibly my favourite middle-grade audiobook of all time). I can't wait for the audiobook of this sequel! If it's anything like the first book, it's going to be amazing.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hardly ever write reviews, but I felt this one was important. I am a teenage girl in highschool who is disabled, and who wants to go into a Musical theatre. This book as well as the chance to fly made me feel incredibly seen in Ways had never been seen before. I especially love the way that Nat and Malik portray dating as a disabled person, and all of the scary self doubt that comes with it. It is an incredibly amazing book, and I highly recommend that anyone who loves musical theater looking to diversify their reading give it a chance (to fly) see what I did there? 😉💗

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 *

I absolutely adored The Chance to Fly and was eager to read this sequel and it didn't disappoint.

Nat is one of the most positive characters I have read about and the fact that she's just 13 and always trying to up the ante when it comes to what she can do is just great. The fact that she is in a wheelchair has rightly never stopped her.

Here she's dealing with a new school and all the challenges that come with that but she has her love of theatre and her friends to pep her up and what's more, a chance to actually perform on the Broadway stage if her school gets selected.

Along with learning to translate dance moves so she can do them in her own inimitable style, Nat has to learn that her friends sometimes need her too and just how she needs to go about being there for them. She also has to face hurtful comments about why she got selected for the lead role from the school's popular dance diva Skye and her sidekicks, which makes her really insecure.

This friend group is fun and musical and so cute as they rehearse and dream and perform together. The way they hold each other up is just amazing. I think everyone needs friendships like the one they share.The humour of the earlier book was very much present in this one even as it deals with the much needed issues of accessibility for everyone in all spaces, specifically the theatre arena. All the singing was very enjoyable too.

Listening to the book was great as the author truly does a fantastic job of bringing this tale of enthusiastic middle graders alive.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series and want mooooore.

[Kylie]

Very sweet. I love that they made a sequel because it was my favorite book when the first one came out!

[Dramapuppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why the first half of this book is the plot of high school musical, but it’s still super fun and readable

[Mina]

YESSSSS!!!

*pumps fist in the air*

This better come out soon or else I'll need to reread the first book!

*angrily rereads book*

[Steph L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Format Read: Ebook

I loved this!

What Worked For Me

Characters

I loved the characters in this! They're so fun, and definitely bring me back to when I was doing theater in middle school. The new characters were great because they helped in bringing the group together.

Writing

I loved the writing in this! I love the way that Ali and Stacy tell a story. I think this writing style is perfect for this age group.

What Could Have Been Better

Plot

I'm not saying this story was bad. I enjoyed it, and I had a fun time with it. Reading it as an adult I found it a tad predictable.

[trijnewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best wel fijn boek. Helaas een stuk minder krachtig dan A chance to fly en een pak minder geloofwaardig (zoals in drie maanden tijd geen enkele conversatie hebben met een effectieve klasgenoot). De communicatie miserie voelde stom en bewijs van een compleet gebrek aan inlevingsvermogen in plaats van geloofwaardig of sympathie oproepend, maar het weerzien met de meeste personages -zeker Hudson- was goed genoeg om dat te compenseren. De personages en het pleidooi voor toegankelijkheid en inclusie blijft wel subliem, daarin verschilt wel van zowat elk ander jeugdboek dat ik dit jaar las.

[rowan ꩜ · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay but why WAS THIS SO FREAKING CUTE OHMYGOD

[Eliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cut Loose!
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (4/5) or 8.57/10 overall

Characters - 9

Atmosphere - 9

Writing - 8

Plot - 8

Intrigue - 9

Logic - 8

Enjoyment - 9

[Harper McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, fun, and just the right amount of angsty! It's always meaningful and refreshing to watch characters like Nat living out their full lives on the page. Loved the continuation of the romance and the friendship storylines. It was great to see Nat continue to explore and evolve—she really came into her own! I was so proud of her by the end!

[Kate Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read “A Chance To Fly” last year and I loved it that I read it 5 times in a row. I am a theatre kid and this book was so amazing! I learned a sequel was coming out but I forgot until I received the book for Christmas.
AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! It was so good!!! Nat said another show with the Oz Bounderz and I loved it so much!
A great read for all theatre nerds, I would definitely recommend!!

[Derrick Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t recommend this series enough to theatre lovers of all ages. It really captures what it’s like to be a young person with big dreams. The discussions around accessibility in the theatre are so important as well. It’s still crazy how little progress we’ve made and how unequal the current accommodations are for the disabled community, if any even currently exist in certain spaces.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Another fun title by this Broadway actress, but I'm still struggling to get my readers to pick up books about theater productions.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨I liked the first one better🤷🏻‍♀️, but still enjoyed this one. It was a very cute middle grade theater story 🎭

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Ali Stroker when I saw her in Spring Awakening and Oklahoma! on Broadway. She is a captivating performer with an incredible voice. I cheered from my couch as she won a Tony for her performance as Ado Annie. Her first book with Stacy Davidowitz, The Chance to Fly, brought me so much joy, and I was so excited to read the sequel.

Cut Loose! is the book that I needed in middle school. I was (and am) a big theater nerd, and I always wished there were more books about people who loved musicals as much as I did. I am glad the middle schoolers of 2023 have the Oz Bounders to make themselves feel seen.

I loved the little musical theater references and homages throughout Cut Loose! Each chapter title is the name of a musical theater song, which made me smile, especially “Don’t Lose UR Head,” a reference to one of my favorite songs from Six. Andrew Barth Feldman played Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, and Stroker and Davidowitz gave their ficitional Evan, Adam Blake Felixton, the same initials.

Stroker was the first performer in a wheelchair on a Broadway stage, and Cut Loose! brings important issues about the accessibility of the theater industry to the forefront. Nat worries that she was only cast as the lead in Footloose to make a statement, and she also has to deal with bullying from her castmates around her dancing. Most importantly, Natalie is unable to access the stage of the Lena Horne theater from the audience and is unable to be with her castmates backstage while waiting to perform. These issues are so important, and I hope Broadway makes strides to be more accessible to people in wheelchairs.

As someone who used to teach 8th grade, I can confirm that Cut Loose! does an excellent job capturing typical middle school drama. 13 year olds are often anxious about what their peers think of them, and Nat spends a lot of the book worrying about that. Of course, there is also typical middle school friendship drama where Hudson thinks Natalie doesn’t care enough that he has a boyfriend. It feels very true to my experience with that age group.

I couldn’t stop smiling while reading Cut Loose! I hope Stroker and Davidowitz continue this series because I am eager to follow this group of friends into the next phase of their theatrical lives.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a follow-up from The Chance to Fly, which I loved. (See my review). While it can be read as a standalone, it definitely helps to read the first novel and there are spoilers for that one, as well.

Earlier this summer, a friend of mine was going to see a show at a local college. She ended up missing the first thirty minutes because she uses a wheelchair and the staff at the college theater didn't have any clue about accessibility entrances. I was upset on her behalf and I hope she reached out to the college about the situation like she had intended to that day. Reading this novel brought that situation to mind because it talks about accessibility issues in theater and how improvements really need to be made in this area. I was so frustrated on Natalie's behalf several times throughout the story because of that. I also hated how some people implied that she was cast in the show for "inspiration porn." (They didn't use those specific words, but that was the basic tone.)

I have never seen the musical version of Footloose because I was never into the movie, but now I want to after reading this novel. I was familiar with some of the song titles because of the movie soundtrack though.

Overall, this story was an easy page-turner and I read it within a few hours. I didn't want to put it down! I loved Natalie's "voice" throughout the novel and it was fun reconnecting with her friends again. Anyone who loves Broadway will love this novel as much as I did. And again, you don't have to be a middle grade reader to appreciate it. I am already hoping that Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz will write a third novel about Natalie.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut Loose!: three stars. Fun, but not quite as much as the first book.

Things I liked:
-Continues to give a nuanced portrayal of a disabled kid, and critique the ableism that is all too often baked into the performing-arts world
-Narrative voice is still fun and distinct--though there was a lot of slang here that will date the book quickly
-Elliot, a new character who also uses a wheelchair, and communicates with a tablet, and thus has the potential to show a wider range of disability experiences besides Nat's own life
-Still lots of fun musical theater references

Things I didn't like:
-Why is Malik much smaller than the other characters on the front cover, and pushed back into a shadowy corner? He's just as important to the plot as Hudson, and with him being the only character of color on the cover, it's... not great
-So much interpersonal drama that could have been resolved with a simple conversation! And the plot was pretty rushed at times, so we don't really get to see how some of the conflict built up, which makes it feel more artificial
-Hudson's family situation continues to feel like a loose thread
-I had a hard time suspending my disbelief about the casting changes made for the Timmys performance. If I was a member of the Footloose ensemble who'd worked hard to earn and learn my part, I'd be pretty ticked-off about not getting the chance to perform after Skye, Lu, and Pru were cut, and instead being replaced by kids from another school who weren't in the original show but just happened to be friends of the lead. I mean, I know the actual showbiz world has plenty of nepotism, but in a school situation it's hard to imagine Babs okaying Nat's plan, and no one else in the school complaining
-How the story ended up using Elliot--he makes, like, two brief appearances to be a plot device for Nat, has his voice called "robotic" tons of times, and doesn't get his own concerns resolved

[Wendy Burch Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chockfull of energy, this middle grade novel is sure to appeal to readers who, like Natalie Beaufort, are fans of Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Annie, & Hamilton. Bound for Broadway after a summer experience doing musical theatre where she made new BFFs that really get her, Nat is sure that this year is going to be the best one yet, despite moving across the country from sunny California all the way to New Jersey. Her new school has a drama club that’s going to be putting on Footloose, and Nat is determine to be the star.

With the voice of co-author, Ali Stroker, who made history as the first actor to appear on Broadway in a wheelchair, the story has an authenticity that readers can immediately trust. While fictional, Nat’s experiences have a genuine rawness to them that give her depth. One that only comes from personal experiences. Together, the authors carefully craft the narrative such that readers are able to navigate these challenges with Nat, giving them a window into her life. And they do so quite brilliantly. When woven together with the challenges faced by a Rockette dancer of color, and mirrored by another student also in a chair, but with the additional challenge of being non-verbal, readers - along with Nat - are given the opportunity to learn and grow. And it’s quite beautiful.

I love how the authors use the large group of friends to help illustrate the differences in friendships at this age. And the variety of ways in which we communicate with one another based on how those friendships exist. Not all friendships are the same. And that’s okay. They also use this friends group to illustrate the beautiful variety of humans that we are surrounded with in our lives. It serves as a microcosm for the world at large.

+I received an advanced review copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.+

[Rebecca Parten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books for an advanced reader copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

(Round up to 4.5 stars)

Cut Loose! by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is the second book in The Chance to Fly series. It takes place during the first half of Natalie (Nat)’s 8th grade year. Middle school is hard for everyone but especially when you have a disability (been there). Nat is the new kid which also doesn’t help make things easier. I both liked and disliked this book more than the first one. In this book Nat’s experiences felt more “real” to me as an adult with a disability. Nat grappled with more real world accessibility / disability focused issues on top of the typical middle school growing pains. This is also part of the reason I disliked the book at times: I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in middle school and found some of Nat’s behavior to be annoying (so much “screaming” and a little bit of being self centered). But, I think readers who are actually in middle school will relate well. I’d give this 4.5 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I still really enjoyed this book, I didn't love it as much as the first one. Partially because I didn't feel like the plot was as good (a crazy competitive chance to be on Broadway for middle schoolers?), but also because it was the classic major middle school drama which could totally be solved with a few direct conversations...and I just expected more of characters who could pull off a whole theater production on their own in the first book. Just talk to each other people! What I did like about the book was Nat's experience in trying to fit in at a new school without being just the kid in a wheelchair. Her worries and insecurities were honest and age appropriate and well written. And, in the end, there was great modeling of solving conflict and repairing relationships.

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The characters are in 8th grade, but never read that way to me. And it felt force when a few mature moments popped up. They almost felt inappropriate. I don’t know who I would recommend this book to. There are enough moments that put it beyond 3-4th grade readers. But anyone older than that will be bored. The story dragged on. It felt like there was a “lesson” that was going to be taught no matter how long it took. Not a fan of this one which is disappointing because theater-themed books are usually a big hit.

[Eliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cut Loose is a good sequel to The Chance to Fly. I read it in early January and I was happy with the way Ali wrote this book. She did a great job joining the two books together and making the second book as good as the first one. Me and my friend were waiting for the second book to come out because we loved the first one. Nat is a fun character and she is really brave and kind. I like the way the book is written because it highlights all of the characters and makes you laugh along with the rest of them.

[Vicki Moorhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this companion to Chance to fly. Was a bit disappointed. Very wordy at times. A lot if unnecessary descriptors. I don’t need to know the ethnicity of every minor character or what brand of clothing someone has on.
I was very disappointed that Nat picked friends outside of her main cast to perform at the awards. That was a big snub to everyone who worked in that show. Also. I find it pretty hard to believe that middle schools would perform such complex shows like Sweeney Todd and in the heights.

[LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not ranking this higher is very much a matter of personal preference. My inner theater kid loved the main plot (though I agree with the criticisms that the way the plot "resolves" is pretty unfair to the off-screen characters in Nat's show). But the characters and relationships explored were not the ones I was hoping would be explored. I agree with other reviews that the way the romance was handled made it a little unclear which age group this book is for, and I wish Elliot had been more fleshed out. But overall it was really cute.

[Annabelle Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book recommended in The Week Jr. and immediately knew I NEEDED to read it. I read the prequel first—and O. M. G!!!!! This series is amazing!!!!! And, oh, fun fact: according to the back of this book, Kristen Chenoweth (original Broadway star as Glinda—sorry, GAlinda—in Wicked) read ‘A Chance to Fly’ (the prequel to this book) and left this review: “The perfect read for any dream chaser… You’ll realize how unlimited your possibilities are.”

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed my time listening to this audiobook. I think I liked the first one more, but I did like this a lot. I know Nat did a lot of growing but I just didn’t like how she acted at the beginning of this book towards her boyfriend and classmates. I’m glad she went through character growth, though, and I’m interested to see what happens next in the series (if/when it’s released!).

[Tara - tarareads517 on Storygraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm ecstatic that we've gotten another book about Nat Beacon, the disabled protagonist I dreamed of as a child. Such fantastic, nuanced storytelling that includes the difficult parts of having a disability alongside fabulous triumphs. I hope we continue to see more of Nat for years to come!