This sweet book was about stage fright and how everyone deals with it differently. If you are like Howie, you'll be excited the whole time till you finally get on stage, that's when it'll hit you. If you are like Pa Lia, you will get stage fright before you get on stage, but once you're on stage you'll be confident because you practiced a lot. And if you are like Calliope then maybe you don't get stage fright. I like how the book had a lesson at the end. She wrote about the characters and asked for the readers opinion. ( )

Michelle Edwards, the author of "The Talent Show," tackles a common problem among many people: stage fright. The main character, Howie, is a second grader singing in her school's talent show. She is excited for her first performance in front of the school. She listens to the other performers, takes notes on what she would do differently, and waits for her turn to sing. When her time comes, she starts to notice how many people are in the audience. Her teacher starts playing her song on the piano, and Howie tries to sing, but no words come out. She is frozen on stage. Her teacher, friends, and grandmother try to encourage her to sing, but she could not. Howie is distraught and discouraged as her grandmother takes her home. She gets into a panic about how she will preform for opening night in front of her peers AND their parents. She goes outside and practices for the trees, squirrels, and the birds. She gains courage and says, "If I get scared, I can close my eyes and pretend I'm singing in my own backyard. Or in my kitchen, with Grandma Gardenia." Howie put on her beautiful red dress and was ready for opening night. When it was her turn to preform, she took a deep breath and sang perfectly. The crowd cheered and she felt very proud of herself. I like this book because anyone can relate to it. It is a good example for children to not give up even if something does not go as planned the first time. Howie tried again and was able to achieve her goal. ( )

Howardina Geraldina Paulina Maxina Gardenia Smith, known as Howie (she needed a shorter name if she was going to be a star) was an eager, young girl who could not wait to perform in her school's talent show. She prepared a song and practiced non-stop. Her grandmother, Grandma Gardenia, made her a sparkly dress and encouraged her to do her best. When it came time for practice in front of the school, Howie froze and could not get the words of the song to come out. Her grandma took her by the hand and led her off the stage. They went home and did not speak about the incident. When it came time for opening night, Howie thought she would try again. She got on stage and sang wonderfully! She lit up the room in her sparkly dress and her beautiful voice, she was truly a star!

I think this is a good book for those who get stage fright. It could inspire kids to lose their fears and perform in a talent show. I liked that it was a chapter book, but the chapters were short and sweet. I really liked this book because it relates to real life experiences. ( )

This is a book about a little girl who is very excited about entering the school talent show to sing. It is time for rehearsal and her turn is up. She gets in front of the entire school to sing and has stage fright. She tries to sing but she can not make a sound. With a little bit of encouragement from her grandmother she builds the courage to sing the night of the talent show. A good transition novel for 2nd or 3rd grade. ( )

This is a cute story for a young child. It is about a girl who performs in a talent show. When it is practice time Howie patiently awaits her turn. Once it is her turn to and she is up on stage ready to sing. Nothing comes out of her mouth. She has stage fright. Her grandmother takes her home and Howie is unsure she wants to go for Opening Night. She sings in her backyard and decides she will attend. FInally it is her turn and she sings beautifully and is even on the Channel seven news that night. Howie overcame her stage fright. ( )