Broadway Chances

In this sequel to The Street Dancers , Fitzi leaves a self-imposed retirement from show business for the allure of a dance solo in a Broadway musical. She's also understudying lead performer Tiffany Resnick, her nemesis possessed of undeniable star quality. When Tiffany is kidnapped just a few weeks before opening night, an overwhelmed Fitzi steps in, and the intense pressure has her longing again for her ``normal'' seventh-grade life. More so than in the previous novel, Hill casts the spotlight on Fitzi as she experiences the tension of Broadway auditions, the agony of grueling rehearsals, a nascent crush--on Mark, a fellow cast member--and her first period. Along with providing front-row glimpses of a show-business family (Fitzi's parents and grandfather are in the play, too), the book's suspense-filled plot should make it a hit with readers. Ages 10-14. (May)