Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Published by Simon & Schuster

Nominated by Jen Petro-Roy

 

Nate lives in a small town in Pennsylvania, but his dream is to perform on Broadway. His friend Libby and he make a plan for Nate to sneak away and ride a bus to New York City. Alone. The plan is for Nate to attend an audition for E.T. and then return immediately to Pennsylvania. Things don't work out that way. He does better than expected but ends up stuck on the streets of New York. An interesting series of events ensues.

The plot may not appeal to all readers, but it kept my attention. Nate was a great character and was always optimistic. He was naive, but he was a kind person. I enjoyed the description of his auditions, and his actions helped bring his dysfunctional family back together. Libby also added another view of the story. This book touches on questions surrounding male sexuality in a young, teenage boy.