Chance to Fly

(Paperback)

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Description

Thirteen-year-old Nat Beacon loves a lot of things: her dog Warbucks, her best friend Chloe, and competing on her wheelchair racing team, the Zoomers, to name a few. But theres one thing shes absolutely OBSESSED with: MUSICALS! From Hamilton to Les Mis, theres not a cast album she hasnt memorized and belted along to. Shes never actually been in a musical though, or even seen an actor who uses a wheelchair for mobility on stage. Would someone like Nat ever get cast

Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Bolstered by realistic dialogue and Nat's engaging internal narrative, this endearing novel will entrance a new generation of theater lovers and charm older ones with its allusions to beloved shows." -- "Publishers Weekly"
"Anyone who loves to dream and has a love for theater will greatly appreciate The Chance to Fly. This book reminds everyone that it is a beautiful thing to be different and to be passionate about doing what you love."-- "Sophia Gennusa, Tony Honored actress for her title role in Matilda"
"Every theater kid in the world will instantly fall in love with Nat Beacon and relate to her story of perseverance. The Chance To Fly is as unique, inspirational, and full of heart as Ali Stroker is herself. She and Stacy Davidowitz will make readers laugh, cry, and teach them the true meaning of defying gravity."-- "Chris Colfer, New York Times bestselling author and Golden Globe winning actor"
"I only wish that The Chance to Fly was written when I was a teenager. Ali Stroker is a powerful role model for all youth and adults alike . . . We are living in changing times where audiences are clamoring for greater diversity. A Tony Award winner whose voice soars, whose energy brings us all to cheer is an example of what is possible."-- "Judith Heumann, International Disability Rights Activist, author of Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Me"

Author Bio

Ali Stroker is a Tony Awardwinning actress for her role as Ado Annie in the 2019 revival of Rodgers and Hammersteins Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf Wests acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. Since then, shes performed on stages across New York as well as in movies, such as Christmas Ever After, and countless shows, including Echoes, Only Murders in the Building, Ozark, Ten Days in the Valley, The Glee Project, Glee, And Just Like That, Big Nate, and Alices Wonderland Bakery. Her mission to improve the lives of others through the arts, disabled or not, is captured in her motto: Turning Your Limitations Into Your Opportunities. Stroker is the proud author of the acclaimed novel The Chance to Fly as well as the picture book Ali and the Sea Stars. Stacy Davidowitz is an acclaimed author and playwright. Her star-reviewed novel The Chance to Fly, coauthored by Tony Awardwinning actress Ali Stroker, was named a best childrens book of the year by Amazon, Chicago Public Library, Parents, and Bank Street College of Education. It was also selected by the National Education Association as a featured title for Read Across America. Davidowitz is best known for her four-book Camp Rolling Hills series, inspired by her coauthored Camp Rolling Hills the Musical, which continues to have productions across the country. She is also the author of the Hanazuki chapter-book series based on Hasbros YouTube series. She has written award-winning plays that have been produced regionally and internationally, and are published by Broadway Play Publishing, Stage Rights, and YouthPLAYS. When she is not writing, she teaches creative writing, female empowerment, and musical theater in schools, camps, foster care facilities, and juvenile detention centers. She is a proud graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, where she earned degrees in drama, psychology, and acting. Fun fact: Growing up, Davidowitz was in seven productions of Annie. She lives in upper Manhattan with her husband and twin boys. Learn more about Davidowitz at stacydavidowitz.com and follow her on Instagram at @stacydavidowitzbooks, where in addition to all things books, you can watch clips of her performing as a kid.