Shannon in the Spotlight by Kalena Miller

The main character, 12-year-old Shannon Carter, has enough on her plate with a sudden increase in the repetitive behaviors symptomatic of her OCD, such as washing her hands and reapplying Chapstick constantly throughout her waking hours. Shannon in the Spotlight is a new middle-grade novel by author Kalena Miller, and it features a tween struggling with OCD, friendship dramas, and a home life that suddenly feels out of control when her grandmother moves in with her and her mother. | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository |Ī sensitive portrayal of a young girl’s struggle with OCD and the changing relationship with her best friend. As opening night approaches, Shannon feels pressure to save her friendship with Elise, to make Mom and Grandma Ruby act like grown-ups, and to follow the old theater adage The show must go on. To make matters worse, Shannon’s eccentric and opinionated grandmother moves in with her and her mom after a fluke house fire. She lands a lead role, and everyone in her life is ecstatic. But when she braves the audition, she discovers that center stage is the one place where she doesn’t feel anxious. As a twelve-year-old with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she depends on routine. But when the director of the summer musical hears Shannon singing, he encourages her to step out of the wings and into the spotlight.Īt first, Shannon is hesitant. Shannon’s always been content to stay backstage, helping wherever she can. Not like her two BFFs, Elise, an actress, and Fatima, a techie. Shannon Carter never considered herself much of a theater person.

After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD.

Shannon in the Spotlight by Kalena Miller