Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit

Abstract

Reviewed by: Second Chance Summer by Sarah Kapit Ally Byerly Kapit, Sarah Second Chance Summer. Holt, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250860903 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250860897 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr 5-7 It's hard for twelve-year-old Maddie Simmons to not feel like a side character in her own life when her best friend is famed child actor Chloe Winters. However, after a rather spectacular public humiliation during their school's production of The Music Man exposes the deep fissures of their friendship, Maddie decides to put their relationship behind her and focus on her future career as a screenwriter. Her efforts to distance herself from Chloe, unfortunately, come to nothing when she winds up bunking in the same cabin as Chloe for a summer at performing arts camp. Meanwhile, in the wake of recent professional rejections, Chloe struggles to define herself outside of her career and her mother's lofty ambitions. She hopes a summer away at camp will remind her of why she fell in love with acting, but her ongoing stand-off with Maddie and her growing feelings for her costar, Sasha, leave her mired in drama both on and off the stage. The story's dual narration handily illustrates the many ways relationships can feel completely different to its parties and the pitfalls of conflating ignorance with malice. Maddie and Chloe's struggles to redefine their friendship realistically models the give and take of a maturing relationship, emphasizing the importance of boundaries. The plot, however, is sometimes a victim of its own desire to play it safe. The dialogue between its preteen characters is so squeaky clean it feels inauthentic, and though Kapit's efforts at intersectional diversity are to be applauded, the short novel is spread too thin to effectively delve into its myriad subjects, including body diversity, queer relationships, and invisible disabilities. Imperfections notwithstanding, the novel earnestly implores its readers not to define their futures by past precedents. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois