Cut Loose! (the Chance to Fly #2)

The showstopping sequel to The Chance to Fly, which New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer called ＂unique, inspirational, and full of heart＂--now in paperback

Full of heart, friendship, and so much song, Cut Loose! by Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is an uplifting story about embracing your strengths, standing out, and standing up for what you believe in.

It’s the beginning of eighth grade, and Nat Beacon is nervous. Not only will she be the New Kid, but the New Kid in a Wheelchair. And the school year starts off rocky: No one seems friendly, and she can’t get to the cafeteria without help.

But there are a few bright spots. Namely, her best friend, Hudson; her boyfriend (swoon!), Malik; and her very favorite thing: theater. This year, there’s a middle-school theater competition, and any production that wins their regional competition will get the chance to perform--on a real Broadway stage!

Nat couldn’t be more excited. This is her chance to make it big and prove she belongs at her new school. She wows the director and gets cast in the school production: Footloose! But rehearsals are super stressful. Dance diva Skye wants more complex choreography, Malik keeps flaking for band practice, and Hudson gives Nat the cold shoulder, leaving Nat confused and alone.

Nat starts to wonder whether she can really carry the show to Broadway and whether, without her friends, it’s worth doing theater at all.

Ali Stroker is a Tony Award-winning actress for her role as Ado Annie in the 2019 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. Since then, she’s performed on stages across New York as well as in movies and television shows, including Echoes, The Glee Project, Glee, Big Nate, and Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. Stroker is the proud coauthor of the picture book Ali and the Sea Stars. Stacy Davidowitz is an acclaimed author and playwright. Her novel The Chance to Fly, coauthored by Ali Stroker, was named a best children’s book of the year by Amazon, Chicago Public Library, Parents, and Bank Street College of Education. Davidowitz is also the author of the Camp Rolling Hills series, the Hanazuki chapter-book series, and award-winning plays that have been produced regionally and internationally. She lives in upper Manhattan with her husband and twin boys.