Not Your All-American Girl

By Wendy Wan-Long Shang, Madelyn Rosenberg

Lauren must find her voice when her friendship and dreams are tested in a school play.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 606 ratings

256 pages· 49,157 words· Est. 7 hour read

$8.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Lauren and Tara's friendship faces a test when they try out for the school play. Lauren, half-Jewish and half-Chinese, lands in the ensemble while Tara gets the lead. Struggling with her identity and unable to sing, Lauren risks losing her spot and her best friend. With the help of her grandmothers and a button-making business, can Lauren reclaim her voice and redefine what it means to be all-American?

From the publisher

A multicultural story full of heart and hilarity about what it means to be all-American.Lauren and her best friend, Tara, have always done absolutely everything together. So when they don’t have any classes together in sixth grade, it’s disastrous. The solution? Trying out for the school play. Lauren, who loves to sing, wonders if maybe, just maybe, she will be the star instead of Tara this time.But when the show is cast, Lauren lands in the ensemble, while Tara scores the lead role. Their teacher explains: Lauren just doesn’t look the part of the all-American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the everygirl star from Pleasant Valley, USA?From amidst the ensemble, Lauren tries to support her best friend. But when she can’t bring herself to sing anymore, her spot in the play and her friendship are in jeopardy. With the help of a button-making business, the music of Patsy Cline, and her two bickering grandmothers, can Lauren find her voice again?Acclaimed coauthors Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang return to the 1980s world of Sydney Taylor Honor Book This Is Just a Test with this laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story.

At a glance