What Are You Looking For?

The story centres on a child’s affectionate view of an uncle who is also Auntie Lotta, a drag performer. A parade incident and a worry about friends from different parts of Lotta’s life lead to a shared outfit combining Leo and Lotta.

This is a sports-centred story about competing loyalties: Alex wants to concentrate on baseball, while his relationships and Matt’s return complicate the season.

This is a relationship and identity story set around wrestling. Jorge’s career ambitions, gay identity and first boyfriend come into conflict over the meaning and impact of his wrestling persona.

The premise combines fairy magic, dance and a variety-show audition problem, with Rachel and Kirsty trying to set things right.

This is a hands-on book for trying comedy activities together, rather than a story to follow. Its range of formats offers groups different ways to experiment with making comedy.

Expect a school-centred story about young performers, ambition and social standing. Its focus appears to be the pupils’ personal drama as well as their artistic aspirations; the balance between those strands is unclear.

A hands-on choice for readers interested in making puppets and putting on a play, rather than a straightforward retelling alone.

This is a practical performance collection rather than one continuous story: short exchanges come with interpretation suggestions, and introductory chapters offer advice on using dialogue as a teaching tool.

A theatre mystery brings friendship and a search for a missing performer together. The sisters’ immediate aim is to find him before the show, but what has happened to him is not revealed here.

Four linked adventures follow the Cheetah Girls through an unexpected fashion trend, music-industry opportunities and preparations for a major concert. One storyline introduces Dorinda's newly discovered sister, who is white and coming to town.

This is a comic, theatrical premise about two contrasting approaches to dating and a musical that challenges men’s behaviour. Its story-within-a-story setup may interest readers who enjoy performance and creative projects.

This is a time-travel adventure built around the twins’ encounters with the famous magician Harry Houdini and the mystery of their relatives’ whereabouts.

This is a story about a bereaved teenager seeking a way forward through street performance. It places Ally’s hopes alongside the instability of foster care and life on the streets.

This story follows Miley as she manages a temporary restriction on speaking while facing school and family complications.

A playful theatre mystery combines familiar Muppet characters, strange happenings and a backstage rescue, then resolves the ghost’s presence through an agreement between him and the performers.

A photographic look at boys learning dance and preparing a performance, with acting, singing and playful pretend swordfighting among the rehearsed activities.

A story of three sisters pursuing different ambitions through stage training and show business, with family circumstances and the effort of practice shaping their paths.

A fast-moving comic adventure built around Art’s determination to become a pirate captain, despite uncertainty about her past and the people she believes are her crew.

A concise life-and-career account traces Mars’s path from family music-making and early performances to work as a producer and solo artist.

A school talent-show story about Mike, whose magic has helped him build confidence. His plans meet complications involving Nora’s stage fright and the prospect of trouble from Jackson.

A football debut story follows Danny as he moves from youth and reserve-team experience towards a place in the first team. Its central uncertainty is how he will respond to this opportunity.

A friendship and show-business adventure centred on Hetty’s ambitions, her loyalty to Diamond and unresolved feelings for two people from her life.

A playful-sounding space adventure mixes a monster-filled travelling carnival with Cosmoe’s new role as a performer and his friends’ effort to save the day.

The contest gives Stephanie a chance to imagine a glamorous future, while the school-play audition tests her confidence. Her disappointment spills into her friendship with the group.

The central idea is being boldly yourself, expressed through a drag queen’s performance. Consider whether that focus fits what you want to share with your child.

A fast-moving YA mystery with a wry protagonist, social commentary and an extravagant Southern setting. It combines questions about identity and family with secrets, revenge and danger beneath formal manners.

A theatre-centred coming-of-age story about a shy girl pursuing a dream role, navigating friendship and facing romantic feelings. It may particularly suit readers interested in performance, first love and building confidence.

This is a performance-centred story in which Troy, Gabriella and their friends pursue a Broadway opportunity.

A poetry collection about young people using classic and spoken-word forms to explore identity, relationships, belonging and social issues, with personal narratives connecting poems to lived experience.

This offers playful, episodic adventures about managing nerves, disappointment, friendship and unexpected problems. Its appeal lies in Splat’s comic mishaps and recognisable feelings, while the ending of each story may vary in clarity.

A magical theatre rescue story combines an audition, missing talent, fairy helpers and goblin disruption. It may particularly appeal to children interested in performance, imaginative adventure and recurring fairy characters.

A concise life-and-career account of the Three Stooges, from early performance and vaudeville to films, physical comedy, changing membership and enduring popularity.

A disadvantaged horse moves from failed racing to carriage work, learning about history, reading, languages and different political systems. His later involvement in a crisis gives the story an adventure arc, but the precise resolution is unclear.

A lively competition story for readers who enjoy solving problems alongside a determined contestant. Its emotional engine is Gil’s wish to alter his family’s circumstances, while the games test knowledge, persistence, judgement and relationships.

Expect a lively, participatory animal book rather than a sustained story: children encounter creatures grouped by habitats, with words and pictures highlighting sounds, movement, physical features and wildness.

This is a comic novel built around competitive eating, ambition and body-related pressure. Its gross-out humour sits alongside bingeing, purging, starvation and dehydration, so the tone may shift sharply between silliness and disturbing behaviour.

This is a lively coming-of-age story about a rebellious teenager negotiating parental boundaries, a new relationship with her biological father and an unfamiliar family. Its central interest is Cyd’s shifting sense of belonging, confidence and personal value.

A character-focused story about wanting recognition and facing a sibling’s departure. The pageant provides a lively setting for exploring rivalry, while the family storyline brings a more serious emotional thread.

This is a school-set mystery with five clever outsiders at its centre.

This is a deliberately irreverent coming-of-age novel about turning embarrassing experiences into writing. Its comic voice may offer recognition to readers who feel socially awkward, but it includes frank references to sexual subjects and bodily functions.

A playful ensemble drama turns five animal tales into acted stories, then shifts towards a more personal final episode. Its distinctive appeal is imaginative performance alongside friendship and self-understanding.

Expect a comic family road-trip adventure about a child chasing a television opportunity, with embarrassment, sibling irritation and determination shaping the journey.

A hands-on introduction to magic, focusing on simple tricks, preparation, practice and performance. It may suit a child who enjoys learning procedures and demonstrating a skill, though the exact activities are not listed.

A lively story about a girl whose good intentions and creative plans repeatedly misfire, then turn towards friendship, family, performance and the possibility of being recognised for who she is.

A school-play story about wanting to perform while facing stage fright, with a small magical unicorn offering encouragement. Expect fantasy alongside classroom pressure, public embarrassment and a rival classmate.