Take It from the Top

by Claire Swinarski

Overview

Set at a camp over the course of six summers, this novel dives into the falling-out of two girls from different backgrounds who thought they'd be friends forever...until a production of Wicked brings all their buried issues to the surface. Claire Swinarski, Edgar Award nominee of the ALA Notable What Happened to Rachel Riley?, tackles privilege, perspective, and the power of friendship in this page-turning puzzle that readers will devour.

Eowyn Becker has waited all year to attend her sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp. Here, the pain of her mom’s death can’t reach her, and she gets to reunite with her best friend, Jules Marrigan—the only person in the world who understands her. To top it off, Wicked—the girls' favorite musical—has been chosen for the camp's end-of-year production. If anyone can be Glinda to Eowyn's Elphaba, it's Jules!

But when Eowyn arrives at camp, everything seems wrong. The best-friend reunion Eowyn had been dreaming of doesn’t go as planned. Jules will barely even look at Eowyn, let alone talk to her, and Eowyn has no idea why.

Well, maybe she does…

There are two sides to every story, and if you want to understand this one, you’ll need to hear both. Told in a series of alternating chapters that dip back to past summers, the girls’ story will soon reveal how Eowyn and Jules went from being best friends to fierce foils. Can they mend ways before the curtains close on what was supposed to be the best summer of their lives?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063321748
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/26/2026
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Claire Swinarski was born and raised in Wisconsin, where she still lives with her family and writes stories for readers of all ages. What Happens Next was her debut middle grade novel and was followed by The Kate in Between and What Happened to Rachel Riley, which was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title, a Cybils Award nominee, and an Edgar Award nominee. These were followed by Take It from the Top. She thinks wandering around a library can solve 95 percent of life’s problems.

Editorial Reviews

"This book left my heart feeling so full. Take It from the Top perfectly captures the magic of summer camp and the joy of musical theater, all while exploring themes of jealousy and life’s inherent unfairness. Ultimately, it is a book about giving others grace—and giving yourself some, too."   — Arianne Costner, author of Confessions of a Class Clown

“Brimming with heart and musical theater fun, Eowyn and Jules’s journey will leave readers cheering for the healing power of friendship.” — —Beth Turley, author of The Flyers

"[A] masterful exploration of friendship gone wrong. Evocative worldbuilding brings Lamplighter to life for the intimately developed, well-intentioned characters who often struggle to see other points of view. The well-paced interweaving of multiple summers’ experiences builds tension and shines light on how the past reverberates into the present. Brilliantly executed: a gem that’s a love letter to theater and summer camp." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The vibrant and exceptionally rendered setting makes for a compelling backdrop against which layered character building unravels. Swinarski intersperses Eowyn’s conversational narration with sympathetic third person chapters that cover the events of previous summers, offering context and history to the girls’ relationship." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The clever use of Wicked, with Elphaba and Glinda's story mirroring that of Eowyn and Jules, provides an effective way to share the importance of the arts in telling stories and helping to process real-life issues. A must-read for middle-grade fans looking for realistic friendship stories that tug at the heartstrings." — Booklist

"This is a story about more than theater camp—it’s about how jealousies big and small can wiggle their way into any relationship, the lifelong pain of losing someone you love, and the anxiety of feeling out of place." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Swinarski has created an empathetic story rife with realism. She plays with structure to excellent effect, alternating perspective in the present with the years leading up to this pivotal summer." — BookPage

From the Publisher

★ 2024-08-17
During their sixth summer at Lamplighter Lake Summer Camp for the Arts, two girls’ broken friendship is tested even further.

Thirteen-year-olds Eowyn Becker and Jules Marrigan became best friends during their first Wisconsin camp summer. Over the years, though, their friendship has developed cracks. Talented Eowyn suffers from severe stage fright, desperately misses her deceased mother, and resents her doctor father and Broadway-star brother, who have little time for her. She covets Jules’ supportive family and effortless onstage presence. For her part, West Virginian scholarship camper Jules covets Eowyn’s wealth and connections and feels that Eowyn doesn’t understand her less-fortunate circumstances. Jules is also bothered by Eowyn’s oblivious need for attention, which ruined last summer’s show, taking the spotlight off Jules in her lead role. When both girls (who present white) earn starring roles inWicked this summer, can they, like Galinda and Elphaba, find their way past their mutual loathing and become friends who truly see each other? Told in Eowyn’s first-person voice in the present and Jules’ third-person perspective in the past, this masterful exploration of friendship gone wrong is permeated with a bone-deep, warts-and-all love of both camp and theater. Evocative worldbuilding brings Lamplighter to life for the intimately developed, well-intentioned characters, who often struggle to see other points of view. The well-paced interweaving of multiple summers’ experiences builds tension and shines light on how the past reverberates into the present.

Brilliantly executed: a gem that’s a love letter to theater and summer camp.(Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews