A down-on-her-luck teen singer-actress literally escapes into the world of reading in Kind of a Big Deal, a hilarious genre-hopping fantasy romp from the versatile Shannon Hale (Best Friends; the Princess Academy series).
Josie Sergakis was a big deal in high school, but a stint in New York City trying to break into musical theater saddled her with credit card debt and shattered dreams. Flat broke, Josie follows her job as adorable five-year-old Mia's au pair to Missoula, Mont., where she can't even get the respect of the other nannies. At the local bookstore she meets Deo, "the kind of guy she imagined trophy wives would hire to be the pool boy, if they lived in a state where pools were a thing." The flirty bookseller recommends a romance novel, and Josie finds herself magically transported into the story, where her singing captivates the characters. Amazed, she reads herself into other stories, facing down zombies and channeling magical forces. What starts as investigative curiosity quickly turns into a way to avoid facing failure, money worries and troubled relationships with her long-distance sweetheart Justin and best friend Nina. However, magic comes with a price, and if Josie isn't careful, she could end up lost in a book forever.
Hale lovingly lampoons tropes from a smorgasbord of genres, even dropping Josie into a graphic novel sequence illustrated by Samantha Richardson [art not seen]. Never taking itself too seriously, this quirky, clever tale of confidence lost and found aims for the hearts of bookworms but has a sassy-sweet message with broad young adult appeal. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager at Main Branch, Dayton Metro Library