(Poll Ballot) Nate Expectations by Tim Federle - 4 stars

[Ellen]

Now that "E.T. the Musical" has closed on Broadway, Nate Foster has no choice but to return to his family in Pennsylvania. Even though his best friend Libby will be there, Nate is reluctant to return to school where he was always the butt of everyone's jokes and to parents who seemed to ignore him while praising his older, althetically- and scholastically-gifted older brother. Nate begins his freshman year of high school with deep dread. Surprisingly, it's better than he thought it would be. His small taste of fame in New York has translated itself into a kind of acceptance of the formerly bullied Nate. Kids are actually nice to him.

An assignment in English class gets Nate's musical juices flowing. The class is to use "Great Expectations" and do something unusual, other than a straight book report. Of course Nate's first thought is "Great Expectations: The Musical!" Partnering with Libby the two set out to recruit high school students to stage the event in the school gymnasium. Nate is thrilled to see how many kids show up for tryouts and, even better, he meets a charming young man named Ben who just might be the one to replace the snobby Jordan, a young actor Nate fell for in New York. Things are certainly looking up, until the musical just might be cancelled by legal entanglements.

I really enjoyed this young adult trilogy. Nate is a wonderful character and in this third book it's nice to see how things have changed for him. I do believe it is because Nate himself has changed; confidence, clear direction and an openness to others that he developed on the Broadway stage. Fun stuff!