Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

by Tobias Madden

Overview

There Are No Cheat Codes for Showmance

Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645677062
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	886,297
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Originally from Ballarat, Australia, Tobias worked for ten years as a dancer, touring the country with musicals such as Mary Poppins, Cats, Singin’ in the Rain and Guys and Dolls. He now lives in New York City with his husband, Daniel, and their Cavoodle, Ollie. In 2019, Tobias edited and published Underdog: #LoveOzYA Short Stories. He also co-wrote the cabaret show Siblingship, which played to sold-out audiences in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Tobias's debut novel, Anything But Fine, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children. His second novel, Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell, is available now. Tobias is a passionate member of the #LoveOzYA and LGBTQ+ communities, and he currently works full-time in digital marketing.

Editorial Reviews

11/21/2022

A queer Australian teen joins a community theater production to woo his online crush in this frothy romance by Madden (Anything But Fine). Seventeen-year-old white Noah Mitchell distracts himself from constant school bullying by playing online games with his secret crush, whom he knows only as MagePants69, or M. Though Noah desperately wants to meet M IRL, M’s mother forbids him from sharing personal information; all Noah knows is that they live in the same town. But when M reveals that he’s in a play and his online absences match up with rehearsals for Noah’s mom’s local production of Chicago, Noah joins the cast using his mother’s connections. At rehearsals, he meets white Eli Callaghan, who resembles M’s avatar. Convinced they’re the same person, Noah endeavors to woo Eli while keeping their established connection secret. As rehearsals progress, Noah struggles with learning the choreography and standing up to his bullies, and Eli’s jealousy over Noah’s tentative friendship with the show’s lead often stalls their budding relationship. Noah’s initial social isolation, slowly building confidence, and gradual realization that people want to be his friend outside of the internet are sensitively wrought, making for an absorbing protagonist readers can’t help but root for. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Friedman, InkWell Management. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"[Madden] celebrates the theater as a place where misfits can find community, be they skeptics like Noah or devoted theater kids like Eli. . . . Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell earns a standing ovation."
—Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Skillfully explores how a teen reckons with authenticity in his relationships." —Kirkus Reviews

"Noah's initial social isolation, slowly building confidence, and gradual realization that people want to be his friend outside of the internet are sensitively wrought, making for an absorbing protagonist readers can't help but root for." —Publishers Weekly

“Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell is one of the best books I’ve read all year. This is a charming gay YA rom-com bursting with heart and loaded with humour, but it transcends romance: at its core, this is a brilliantly-written coming-of-age tale about all the bruises and blessings that come with growing up. Noah and Eli are real, vulnerable characters that readers will fall in love with. With this book, Tobias Madden has cemented his place as one of the new powerhouses in Australian YA fiction and I can’t wait to read what he writes next. Outstanding!”
—Holden Sheppard, author of The Brink and Invisible Boys

“A swoony showstopper of a story about theatre and the things that help us find our people (and ourselves). It’s funny, fearless and so very heartwarming. Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell is a showmance I didn’t want to ever end. I loved it!”
—Rhiannon Wilde, author of Henry Hamlet’s Heart

“Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell is a delightful coming-of-age story that filled my stomach with all the butterflies I could ever want from a YA rom com. It does not shy away from the real stuff, but having the chance to follow Noah through this tricky, awkward, lovely part of his life left me with such an overwhelming sense of joy. It is sharp, tender, witty, surprising – all the things! And a reminder of how good life can be when you push (or are pushed) outside your comfort zone.”
—Kay Kerr, author of Please Don’t Hug Me and Social Queue

“Finally! This is the gaymer/stage novel we’ve been waiting for. Exhilaratingly magical, excruciatingly real, and as enchanting as an elven bard.”
—Anna Whateley, author of Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal

From the Publisher

2022-09-28
A lonely Australian gaymer joins a musical theater society in a quest to win the heart of his soul mate.

Noah Mitchell—or Snitchell as he’s called at school—has a problem. He’s in love with MagePants69, a friend he only knows through the online role-playing gameSpire of Dusk. They’re both 17, gay, and live in Ballarat, but parental rules prevent them from sharing any other identifying details. In real life, wealthy White Noah avoids social interactions at all costs. When his self-absorbed mother, the leading lady of their town’s upcoming production of Chicago, asks him to fill a hole in the show’s chorus, he has no intention of accepting until MagePants69 casually mentions in a late-night chat that he attended a rehearsal. Desperate to meet the boy of his dreams and sure that MagePants69 is in Chicago, Noah crafts a plan to make their lives converge. Tightly connected storytelling emphasizes the importance of honesty and vulnerable communication, tying together Noah’s conflicts with his family, his messy romance, and an incident in his past that ended all his friendships in ways that ramp up the tension. The emotional impact of the resolution is muddied by the lack of reflection on race; in the predominantly White cast, most of the antagonists are people of color. Lanky, self-conscious Noah starts working out but by the end of the book is starting to feel more accepting of his body.

Skillfully explores how a teen reckons with authenticity in his relationships. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews