Here’s How I See It, Here’s How it Is by Heather Henson
Posted on: December 7, 2009
Title: Here’s How I See it, Here’s How It Is
Author: Heather Henson
Rating: 8.5/10
Summary: (Taken from BN.com)
here’s how i see it
Rave reviews, an endless request for autographs, my name in lights on Broadway.
here’s how it is
The audience is half empty, I spend zero time onstage, my dad’s midlife crisis is about to ruin the playhouse…and my family.
Junebug dreams of being a leading lady someday. A serious actress, a stage actress, a real actress. And it should be easy for her to get her start ― her parents own the Blue Moon Playhouse, after all, and her dad performed on Broadway (once). But the truth is, at (almost) thirteen, she’s not even a supporting actress or a stand-in or an understudy or even a child actor has-been. In the current Blue Moon production, her role is this: thunder, props…and stagehand (gopher, actually). And lately it seems like maybe the stagehand mindset ― go unnoticed, don’t say a word ― is rubbing off on Junebug’s personality. She’s starting to feel as though her opinions never count, her worries aren’t taken seriously, that she’s becoming the ultimate stagehand: invisible. And that’s not a role she’s happy with.
From author and former playhouse insider Heather Henson comes a novel about growing up, standing out, and what it means to live your life just outside of the spotlight.
My Thoughts: Heather Henson has created such a fun, creative, and realistic book with Here’s How I See It. Junebug was such a sweet but strong character. Her personality and love for the theater really shines through the story. All of the other characters, whether it was Thespis, her dad, or the stage hands, really had distinct personality and added so much fun to the story. I really loved some of the supporting characters and wish they had been in the story a little more but, otherwise, I loved everything about the characters. Junebug also faces a lot of family issues, which I felt was a great addition to the story. She handled everything in a way that was realistic to a girl her age while keeping true to herself, which I think is something that is missing from a lot of books.
Theater was also a big part of the book. It fit in well, since it was such an important part of the book, but I was going “what?” at times, just because my knowledge of anything related to theater is very little. However, that never really took away from the book and by the time it was over, I can say that my theater knowledge is now greatly expanded.
Overall, I highly recommend this one to tweens and young teens. It’s another book that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, even though it deserves too.
Harmony Book Reviews 
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