A heartfelt middle-grade novel about a theater-loving girl who uses a
wheelchair for mobility and her quest to defy expectations—and
gravity—from Tony award–winning actress Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz
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 there’s one thing she’s absolutely OBSESSED
with: MUSICALS! From Hamilton to Les Mis, there’s not a
cast album she hasn’t memorized and belted along to. She’s 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?
But when Nat’s family moves from California to New Jersey, Nat stumbles upon auditions for a kids’ production of Wicked,
one of her favorite musicals ever! And she gets into the ensemble! The
other cast members are super cool and inclusive (well, most of them)—
especially Malik, the male lead and cutest boy Nat’s ever seen. But when
things go awry a week before opening night, will Nat be able to cast
her fears and insecurities aside and “Defy Gravity” in every sense of
the song title?
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Stacy Davidowitz is a playwright, screenwriter, and author based in Manhattan. Her plays and musicals have been produced regionally and internationally, and her most recent indie feature film is in production. Stacy also teaches theater and creative writing in the New York City public and private schools. Her alma maters are Tufts University, Columbia Univer
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