Seventh-grade fringer, Gabby St. Claire, has her heart set on performing in the school play, Oklahoma. Together with Becca, Gabby’s lone BFF they audition and land supporting roles, but then the weirdness starts. Someone or something is seemingly bent upon sabotaging the play. Gabby dons her sleuthing hat, but hunting the culprit proves dangerous when all the clues begin pointing back to her! Is it Donnabell the diva, Hannah, the home school refugee, Gail the Gorilla, or someone else?
The Curtain Call Caper is both witty and poignant, and will keep you locked in on Gabby’s struggle to overcome feelings of failure, a dysfunctional family, constant bullying from cliques, personal loss, romantic feelings, jealousy and more. Both authors, Christy Barritt and Kathy Applebee write from a Christian worldview, but that was quite veiled in this novel. The protagonist although is not a person of faith, is searching for answers. The one overtly Christian character is poorly then heroically portrayed with a suggestion of spiritual transformation to come. Moreover, the book provides excellent life lessons. Christy Barritt was a Carol award finalist and is well known for her “Squeaky Clean Mysteries.”
Age Range: 10 and up
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary teen problem, Humor
River Heights 2014
Series: Book 1 of 3 The Gabby St. Claire Diaries series
Available: Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com, Also ask for this title at your local library and Christian book store.
