No cell phones. No TikTok. Just one stage, one telescope, and one chance to get love right! Ellie, an ambitious astronomer, and Jack, a charismatic drama king, are high schoolers whose worlds are about to collide in unexpected ways. Ellie prefers the quiet certainty of the cosmos, while Jack thrives under the spotlight. When they're forced to collaborate on a drama project to save Ellie's grade—whether they like it or not—sparks fly, tensions rise, and long-buried feelings come to light. As they navigate rivalry, ambition, and the weight of their own dreams, Ellie and Jack will have to decide if they’re destined to stay in separate orbits… or shine brightest together. If you ever made a mixtape for your crush, this book is for you! For 90s Nostalgia If you love YA books that bring back the mixtapes, payphones, and after-school hangouts of the 90s, you're going to love Stars of the Show. Think 90s books meets enemies to lovers with all the drama of high school theater.Love books with tension, banter, and sparks flying…but also love keeping it clean? Stars of the Show has all the heart-racing moments of your favorite YA romance books enemies to lovers—without the steam.For Theater Kids (Past & Present): Being in the drama department is chaos. It's messy. It's magic. If you ever fell in love under the stage lights (or just wished you had), Stars of the Show is the young adult book for you! The Drama Department is a series of standalone YA novels set in the same high school, where the stage isn’t just for acting—it’s where love, ambition, and heartbreak play out under the spotlight. Each book follows a different pair of students caught in the chaos of rehearsals, rivalries, and the unforgettable drama of first love. Whether it’s enemies forced to work together, best friends on the verge of something more, or rising stars struggling to find their voice, every story delivers tension, heart, and the magic of young ambition. Set in the early '90s, The Drama Department is for anyone who remembers mix tapes, first crushes, and the thrill of chasing a dream—onstage and off.
Author
Tom Leveen is the author of nine novels originally with imprints of Random House, Simon & Schuster, Abrams, and more. He has written with Todd McFarlane on SPAWN, the comic book series, and fiction for the TTRPG BattleTech for Topps, Inc. Recently an early literacy specialist with Phoenix Public Library, Tom has twelve years of previous library work experience. He also has 22 years of theatre experience as an actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director for two different award-winning theatre companies. Tom wrote his first story in second grade and has been writing and telling stories ever since. His first horror novel, SICK, won the Westchester Fiction Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award. His novel ZERO was a Best Book of 2013 (American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association). A frequent guest speaker and teacher, Tom has taught, paneled, and/or keynoted for SCBWI, RWA, Desert Nights Rising Stars, Phoenix ComiCon, AzLA, NCTE, TEDx, People of Color Network, Western New Mexico University, Arizona State University, Arizona Reading Association, Kennesaw State University, multiple schools and conferences throughout Germany, AETA, the Los Angeles Teen Book Fest, and many others. In addition, apropos of absolutely nothing, Tom: Finished a marathon (in six and half hours) and a triathalon sprint in 2 hours, earned a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, co-hosted a public access comedy show, directed 30 plays and acted in 30 more, ran a theatre company out of his backyard, met almost all of his literary heroes except for Stephen King, played in a punk band live in front of actual people (once), prefers the Hero System but nevertheless runs a warlock minotaur and storm cleric elf when time permits, trained at the Utah Shakespeare Festival Actor Training program for five sessions, was Best Masque & Gavel Member in high school, lettered in Speech, has a rock in one finger from a pretty bad bail on his (now stolen) Tony Hawk, was the safari train driver for the Phoenix Zoo for a short time, worked in the stock room for Forever 21 for an even shorter time, completed a Spartan Sprint with three friends, and spent twenty years earning his Bachelor of Science degree. He is currently in an MFA program at a major international university. So if there's something you want to do, go do it.
