Title: The Chance to Fly

Authors- Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary

Rating- 5 stars

Characters

They filled the Chance to Fly with so many amazing characters, and I just love how much they care about each other. Nat is a delightful main character, and I relate to her the most out of all the characters in the story. Rey is a supporting character, and she is such is a sweet friend to Nat. Hudson is my other favorite character because of how much he supports Nat, and how much he makes her feel a part of the group. 

Plot

This is another story that is more vibes than a plot for me. I love it because the characters are fantastic and they have such a great time together. The story is about a group of theater kids working together, and making their production of Wicked happen even after losing their performance space. I love this story because it’s a group of theater kids coming together, in a time of need to make sure they can do their show. I related to this element because I could see me and my theater friend doing the same thing if we ever lost our venue when I did theater. 

Writing

This novel is own voices, and that really shows in the writing. Nat is in a wheelchair, and Ali Stroker treats the main character with care and passion. Stacy Davidowitz adds heart and passion to the characters in the writing as well. They fill the Chance to Fly with light-hearted scenes, where you can tell the group is having fun, and scenes that really talk about the issues and challenges people who are disabled face. This is an element I love in the story because I believe it’s a story that needs to be told in the world.  They handled heavier scenes with care, and passion. I love how the writing works well to tell the story, but also how it talks about the issues that need to be addressed. There are text chats in the book filled with username puns, and it brings me so much joy to see the usernames every time I read the book. 

Friendships

One of the best things about this novel is the friendship group. Each member of the group has a unique personality, and they all support each other, even if someone gets the role they wanted in the production. Each member of the friend group has their own strengths, and they each add something to the friend group dynamic, much like a family has different roles and dynamics for each member of the family. At the end of the day, even if there is drama in the group, they can all support each other because their friendship matters more.  

Enjoyment/ Recommend for

If you know me, you know how much I love this book. I’ve read this novel twice and loved it, even more, the second time, and I didn’t think that was possible.  If you’ve read the Fearless series by Mandy Gonzalez, you may enjoy these books as well. I have not read Drama yet, but based on what I know, if you’ve read that book/ series you would enjoy this as well. If you’re a fan of theater, a former theater kid, or someone who enjoys theater, this would be a book you would enjoy.