A little mouse with a big dream! Jenna Gavigan’s debut middle grade novel takes place in the Shubert Theatre on Broadway where Lulu lives with her family. The cast (literally!) of characters is well drawn and Gavigan does a superb job depicting theater life and giving readers a view of life behind the stage curtain. At its heart, Lulu the Broadway Mouse is a story that fans of theater or anyone with a dream will appreciate.

This book is just plain cute. Since I was a theatre major in college, I loved all the references to how Broadway and theatre in general work. I think any little kid with dreams of being on the stage would really enjoy this story (and learn a lot from it too). The style is sort of interesting because it's really pretty much a contemporary MG set in a Broadway theatre---except the MC happens to be a mouse. I was expecting a bit more fantasy elements or something, but honestly, Lulu could have been a little girl and the story wouldn't have been all that different. I'm not sure if that's a positive or a negative about the book, it's just a fact. I'm not sure how much the book will appeal to kids who aren't already interested in the theatre since it's not super plot-heavy, but if you know any kids who are at all interested in being onstage, this would definitely be for them. Overall, I thought this was a sweet story of following your dreams and learning to work with others.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

DNF at 7%

I'm okay with suspending some belief, but not all of it. If you're familiar with the theater and how it works, Lulu the Broadway Mouse might be a good fit, but a lot of the content was new to me. The author also includes a lot of references to past plays, but the only one I recognized was Frozen.

I didn't realize Lulu was going to be working with actual humans, and handing them their fake eyelashes. Her personality was also a lot to swallow. She's very, very peppy. I could practically feel her bouncing through the words.

I do think this is one people will enjoy, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I was unfamiliar with the content and the setting, and the author doesn't really do much to make me feel comfortable with it. Again, it may be more for people that frequent the theater, or have personal experience with it.

Lulu, Lucy Louise is what her mother called her, is a mouse that lived in a very large Broadway theatre. She longed to be on the big stage. She wss surrounded by a demanding mother, hard working father and three brothers she referred to as hooligans. She took part in various theatrical activities, like sewing costumes, being an understudy and other duties as needed. No mouse had ever performed on Broadway, but she believed that someday it would happen when humans weren’t afraid of mice. Her family worried she’d be set up for disappointment, and that a regular person would be scared to see a mouse on the stage.

When Lulu read as an understudy with her good friend Maya she knew all of the lines. But soon Maya would be leaving. When her replacement Jayne arrived, she and Lulu become good friends. They both disliked Amanda, the star, who was mean, rude and she had to eat a special diet due to various food allergies. As Jayne and Lulu prepared for the next big performance, and the just-in-case, things were getting worse with Amanda. She seemed to be meaner than usual. On one particular night, right before a performance Amanda had become sick from bad salmon her mother prepared. It was time for Jayne to shine but she wouldn’t do it alone, she wanted to have Lulu very close to help her just-in-case she forgot her lines. But with one slip up Lulu was exposed. The whole audience gasped at her tiny prescence. The two winged it and were surprised at the audience and all of their family and friends behind the scenes reactions. What do you think happened?

This lovely tale of dreaming big and following your heart has a lot of life lessons young readers can use. This fast read would be great for a classroom read-a-loud or for family reading time. Parents and teachers can open up dialogue on how to be kind to one another because other people have fears and doubts about themselves too. Relatable characters create a story that is warm and heartfelt.

Lulu is a little girl who loves, loves, LOVES the theatre. She lives in New York's famed Schubert Theatre, where she and her family work side by side with the actors, actresses, and crew to help every production stay on track. Lulu dreams of being of making her Broadway debut, but there's just one sticking point... Lulu is a mouse. When a young understudy named Jayne joins the cast of the Theatre's current show, she and Lulu bond immediately over their love of the craft and their frustration with Amanda, the child star and resident mean girl. Will Lulu - and Jayne - ever get that big break?

Written by actress Jenna Gavigan, who made her Broadway debut at the age of 16, Lulu is a fun story that takes a look at dreaming big and navigating the mean girls we all meet in life. The novel also gives a wonderfully detailed peek behind the curtain at the inner workings of a stage show; your drama fans will love it and your animal fiction fans will cheer for Lulu, a lovable heroine who can stand up for herself and her friends.

Booktalk this one with Being Juliet by Joanne Stewart Wetzel for your drama fans who want a good story with a dash of theatre life.

Author Jenna Gavigan's webpage has a page dedicated to Lulu, links to social media, and background information.

Here is an excerpt of my review, which is online at the link below:

When Jenna Gavigan made her Broadway debut at age 16 as a member of the ensemble in the 2003 revival of Gypsy, she shared the stage at the Shubert Theater not just with stars Bernadette Peters and Tammy Blanchard, but with Tim Federele, who was also making his Broadway debut – and also, presumably, with a family of mice. Federle has since become the author of the Nate series of young adult novels peering backstage at Broadway.
Now Gavigan has made her own contribution to the genre with “Lulu the Broadway Mouse” (Running Press Kids), a book geared to readers age 9 to 12, about a young mouse named Lucy Louise who wants to be a star on Broadway...

“Lulu The Broadway Mouse” is short both on plot and (perhaps needless to say) plausibility....

What the book does best is share some backstage lore and life – some of it well-known (never say “Good luck,” or “Macbeth” in a theater), some more obscure, at least to me, such as that Broadway actors have to buy their own makeup, and whistling is forbidden because the stage crew used to whistle to cue the curtains. We learn what angel cards are and a ditty bag and a fly room.

This was a sweet story of a little mouse with big Broadway dreams. I think the characters were engaging and well developed. The plot line was interesting and fun. I am pretty sure middle grade school kids, particularly girls who aspire to theater, will love this story! The fact that it is written by an actress lends credibility to the story. Kudos to Jenna Gavigan!

Lulu the Broadway Mouse was a cute story, perfect for middle grade independent reading time. Lulu comes from a broadway bound family and the accuracy in dialogue and terms is adorable. I would recommend this book in the future.

See below for the link to my review on my blog.
This will be a fun read aloud in third or fourth grade.

3.5 stars Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for a chance to read and review this ARC. Publication date is October 9, 2018.

This is the story of a sweet little mouse, Lucy Louise, better know as Lulu, who is born at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. Her dream is to be an actress and perform in this theatre, the Shubert.

Lulu befriends a new under-study and quickly becomes her mentor. It is then that Lulu realizes that it is never to late to give up your dreams.

Such a sweet and amusing little novel. To fully enjoy it you must suspend reality and give yourself over to this contemporary little story. It mentions a number of current people, such as Jennifer Lawrence and Lady Gaga, current innovations, such as Invisaligns, and current running Broadway shows, Hamilton. It also has a lot of references to stage vernacular, past shows, past stage actresses, and lines from various plays. But mainly speaks to dreams, understanding and acceptance. This is a first novel by an actress who has also made her debut on Broadway.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC of this title via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a sweet, lovable story! I am so glad that I happened upon this book on netgalley and was selected to receive a digital copy. When I first started reading, I wasn't sure if I was going to like all the little pauses in the writing as the narrator speaks to us readers or explains something further. I was afraid it would become annoying and distracting from the story. Instead, I found it to make Lulu even more endearing and likable. The writing and the little mouse narrator quite grew on me. I thought the story and the writing were clever, creative, unique, and a delight to read. I thought the story had a sweet and positive message for the young readers it is geared to. There is an underlying message of never giving up on your dreams nor letting anyone or anything tell you they aren't possible. You see this through the experiences of Lulu dreaming to be the first mouse on Broadway and through the stories of the young actresses Lulu befriends in her theatre home. Through their experiences and friendship, the story also portrays a great message on friendship and how you should treat others. There is a lot of humor, a lot of information about theater and hit musicals and performers, and a sweet, touching story. I can really see the book appealing to young readers and felt that the message and writing were appropriate and enjoyable for that age group as well as for older readers. I am a new school librarian and I would love to get a copy of this book for our library. It is definitely one I could and will recommend.

This is a sweet little middle grade read about a family of mice (and one mouse in particular) living in a backstage on Broadway in New York City. Bonus points for it being set in a theatre that really does exist!
I grew up in the theatre, so that was definitely part of the appeal for me, and I think the book captures the backstage atmosphere pretty well. I also liked that Lulu stressed that it’s a THEATRE – TRE at the end of the word!
I don’t think it was necessary for the term “mean girl” to be used in the book’s blurb. We don’t need to indoctrinate children with misogyny! It’s already all around us!
Other than that, this was a clever little read.