Review and Giveaway: Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle

I'm stoked to share my review of the very awesome Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by the fantabulous Tim Federle and to give away two signed copies....

Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

(Better Nate Than Ever #2)

by Tim Federle

1/21/14

Simon & Schuster

Nate Foster's Broadway dreams are finally coming true. Armed with a one-way ticket to New York City, small-town theater geek Nate is off to start rehearsals for E.T.: The Broadway Musical . It's everything he ever practiced his autograph for! But as thrilling as Broadway is, rehearsals are nothing like Nate expects: full of intimidating child start, cutthroat understudies, and a director who can't even remember Nate's name. 

Now, as the countdown to opening night is starting to feel more like a time bomb, Nate is going to need more than his lucky rabbit's foot if he ever wants to see his name in lights. He may even need a showbiz miracle.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

Better Nate Than Ever (#1)

Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he'd settle for *seeing* a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There's an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom. Goodreads/Amazon/B&N/IndieBound/My Review

I received a galley of this title in exchange for my honest review

Last year, author Tim Federle exploded onto the middle-grade stage with his debut, Better Nate Than Ever...a book I lovelovelove...well, Federle is back with his debut’s sequel- Five, Six, Seven, Nate- and Federle has once again charmed, entertained, moved, and awed me with his stellar, sparkling storytelling! Broadway musical loving Nate Foster’s wildest dreams are coming true as he heads to NYC to begin rehearsals for E.T.: The Broadway Musical! But, Nate soon finds that his wildest dreams may not be exactly how he imagined them to be as he must deal with pushy co-stars, intimidating superiors, his own self-doubt, and the confusing world of first crushes and first kisses.

I’m SO in love with Federle’s pitch-perfect middle-grade voice and this achingly real, endlessly amusing world he has created. Everything I loved about Better Nate Than Ever (the laugh-out-loud humor, poignant honesty, superb characters, etc) is seamlessly carried over into this sequel. In Five, Six, Seven, Nate, we the readers and Nate are plopped into unfamiliar, yet exciting territory: the world of Broadway musical rehearsals. This is a fast-past, whirlwind kind of world and Federle brings his immense first hand experience to the story, creating a wonderfully authentic setting. Like Nate, I was dazzled and mesmerized by this larger than life world, but also intrigued by the many unexpected facets of it. This musical world isn’t all shining lights, shimmering costumes, and lovely voices though, and Federle holds nothing back when exploring the heavily competitive, sometimes deceptive side of this world.

Tim Federle so deftly and awesomely creates and explores this world, that it is impossible to walk away from Nate’s story NOT loving this magical musical world as much as him! But, what I love most about this sequel, and its predecessor, is, that at their core, they are about one special young boy’s coming of age and journey to find out just who he is. The refreshing honesty with which Federle writes, his perfectly delivered sharp wit, and his refusal to shy away from the complex, hard topics (extreme bullying, sexuality, alcoholism, etc), are what make his books stand out among other modern middle-grade books. And, of course, his fantabulous, unforgettable characters help too!

I’m not sure I can fully stress how much I loveadoreamcrazyabout Nate and his BFF, Libby! These characters are so well-written and given such fantastic real layers and just feel so genuine. They no longer feel like book characters, but like long lost friends and kindred spirits. Awkwardly charming, always endearing, and truly unique Nate is such a relatable young character, but also one that is worthy of looking up to. His courage, compassion, and refusal to be untrue to himself are admirable, while his unexpected humorous observations, honest perspective, and contagious excitement at the world, make him amusing and utterly impossible to love. And my girl, Libby?! Oh I love and want to be this spectacular girl! You couldn’t ask for a funnier, stronger, truer friend than this lovely girl. Nate and Libby’s friendship is one of the best written and most genuine and entertaining that I’ve come across in a long time. I really enjoyed the way this friendship organically grew and evolved in Five, Six, Seven, Nate.

There’s so much about the end of this book that gave me the warmest of warm fuzzies and put the biggest smile on my face for hours!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I loved Better Nate Than Ever SO much that I was worried the sequel wouldn’t be able to live up to it, but it SO does! With its excellent characters, marvelous storytelling, and big heart, Five, Six, Seven, Nate is simply superb and deserves many standing ovations!

MY RATING

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Tim Federle grew up in San Francisco and Pittsburgh before moving to New York to dance on Broadway. Tim's debut novel, Better Nate Than Ever -- described as "Judy Blume as seen through a Stephen Sondheim lens" by Huffington Post -- was named a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013, a Slate.com Favorite Book of 2013, an Amazon Best Book of 2013, and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2013. Tequila Mockingbird Cocktails with a Literary Twist, Tim's novelty recipe guide, was voted the #1 Cookbook of the Year on Goodreads.

Win a signed copy of 

Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

The very awesome Tim Federle has generously offered 2 signed copies of his book for 2 winners.

DETAILS

-US only

-there will be two winners

-will end 1/31

-must be 13+, one free entry per person'

-winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes

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