Flex is a football player. But he's close to a girl in theatre. So he auditions for Shakespeare. The story that unfolds tells of Flex's struggles to show passion in his performance, to learn his lines and to communicate with KK. I liked the fact that the main character was a Christian and it wasn't really a big deal. It was just part of who he was.
This would be a great introduction to chapter books and comic books for young readers. The combination of comic illustrations and short paragraphs was great. I did feel that sometimes there were gaps linking parts together. As an adult it was easy to fill in the gaps where the scene changed in the story, but children might find this more tricky.
This is the second book about Flex and I'd certainly be interested to read the first.

Great Illustrations
Enjoyable story
Relatable humor
Middle School Audience
Thank you Harvest House Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The theater kids are putting on a school show, and, like the TV series Glee, the lead actor is a recently recruited football player. But unlike Glee, or Smash, or Rise, the show they’re doing is not a musical, but William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale”….in junior high school. And there is something else that’s different: There is not a single Jew or gay kid in The Outstanding Life of an Awkward Theater Kid: God, I’ll Do Anything―Just Don’t Let Me Fa il(Harvest House Publishers, 175 pages.) ..

...the book is steeped in theater allusions. But it becomes hard to figure out who this book is supposed to be for. It’s explicitly geared for readers aged eight to 12, but I’m guessing people of that age interested in theater might be insulted by this book — or perhaps just feel excluded by it.

Full review at link

I enjoyed the illustrations more than the story.
It's a sweet story about a boy wanting to give a try at theatre (not in the real sense but in a school kind of theatre/play setting) for his own personal reasons with his dad giving all the support he needs. It's a sweet story. I love the interaction between the parents and their kids, especially between that of the main character and his dad.
One important lesson to learn from this book is not to judge a person too soon. I love the heart-to-heart conversations not just between the father and the son but also that of between the fathers sharing their views and opinions on various topics.
The only parts which distracted me while reading this book were the overly done seemingly repetitive parts and the illustrations which seem to be be overdone at some area.
I enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you #NetGalley for the book #TheOutstandingLifeofanAwkwardTheatreKid

This dips into the "Wimpy Kid" style presentation, but the cartoon sections of each page are not jump-cuts to yucks as in some books in this format, but straight continuation of the prose. It's a quick read, with a low word count, and a heck of a lot of problems. I couldn't believe for one moment the football kid at school, who narrates, would actually try for the school Shakespeare production, just for the girl he wants to be with, and I certainly couldn't be convinced that he not only fainted from anxiety in the audition but still got the lead part. Other issues range from how it suddenly breaks away to a scene our narrator could have no possible idea about, as it happens far across town and without his knowledge, to how the Christian aspects of the characters and purpose of the whole thing just suddenly land on the page with no warning. They, I think, show the true reason this has been written – not so much to show a fun drama of a school kid being a fish out of water for the sake of tweenage love, but to thrust the morals of it all down our throats. As a result confessions by the school lockers about different types of father really seem unrealistic, and in the end the whole thing is too brief to allow the plot's connection to that from the other Good Book (as written by "Bill" Shakespeare) to really come across.

Flex has a reputation as a middle school jock, but her is willing to do anything to get the attention of KK, the girl of his dreams who happens to really like theater. After a disastrous audition he lands a role in Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, but KK seems to be paying attention to everyone but him.


But will his fear of failure become Flex's downfall?



I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, as I have read nonfiction books by Ted Kluck that are decidedly very different from this one here. Fast paced with a conversationally toned narrative, from the perspective a young teen, Flex. The story is also supplemented by comic style illustrations that help to tell the story and fit the style of the book.



At first I was skeptical of this book, and I wasn't too keen on him referring to how "hot" this girl was, but by the end I was won over. The storytelling is engaging, and fun, with relatable humor. The target audience is Middle School age tweens and teens.



A fun filled, relatable read, casual, engaging and highly enjoyable. I loved how Flex is honest and vulnerable, he learns a lot about trusting God, making friends, and sharing his faith.



I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My Thoughts
I came across this relatively short book on NetGalley the other day and since it was available immediately I thought I’d give it a shot. I love reading middle grade books and since this one was middle grade and Christian-focused I was intrigued. Here are my pros and cons for The Outstanding Life of an Awkward Theater Kid:

Pros

1. I liked how this story but a football jock in the middle of a theater group. Flex only joined the theater to be closer to the girl he likes, but the set up was cute and it presented some interesting situations for Flex.
2. I liked that the story had a Christian element and I particularly liked how Flex’s parents encouraged him to pray.
3. Even if you take the Christian element out of the story, there are some great lessons in this book. Flex learned that his parents always love him even when he disappoints them. He learned that instead of being afraid to share his concerns and feelings with his parents, he should always share these things with them because they will always help him figure things out so he can do the right thing. Flex also learns that typecasting people, or making assumptions about them, is a bad thing. He learns that he should always give people a chance and get to know them on a personal level and not pass judgment on anyone based on stereotypes. He also learns that some people have misjudged him which surprises him greatly, but reinforces his decision not to judge people himself in the future. Finally, Flex learned that he shouldn’t believe in or pass along rumors.

Cons

1. I think this book might have been better as a graphic novel. It already has graphic novel elements throughout the book, but using prose and graphic novel elements together made the story feel a little choppy to me.
2. The transitions between chapters were a little abrupt. I know this is done sometimes in middle grade books, but it particularly stood out to me as jarring in this one.
3. I hate saying this, but some of the discussions about God and praying and confessing our sins didn’t occur organically in the story. They really stood out as preachy. If the author could incorporate those elements more naturally into the narrative I think the message would resonate better.

Summary
This is a cute book about a young male athlete completely out of his comfort zone. The best part is that he learned a lot about how to treat people, how to trust his parents, how to have confidence in himself, and how to fit in anywhere… even if he didn’t learn to love Shakespeare!

This would be a great book for youth groups!

Thank you NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.