This fall, Broadway veteran Jenna Gavigan makes her literary debut with Lulu the Broadway Mouse (10/9/18; Running Press Kids; ISBN: 978-0-7624-6461-6; Hardcover $16.99, Ages 8-12), offering young readers a fun and fanciful look behind the scenes of the world’s biggest stage.

Gavigan brings her personal experience as a child actress on Broadway – in Gypsy, opposite Bernadette Peters – to bear in this charming and spirited tale of a little mouse with big dreams.

Ratatouille meets Broadway in this charming new middle grade novel about a little mouse with big dreams.

Lulu lives in the Shubert Theatre, helping the costume designers backstage while dreaming of being in the spotlight, though everyone tells her mice can’t be stars. When a new girl, Jayne, joins the cast as an understudy for a lead actress (who’s a bit of a diva), Lulu takes her under her wing, helping her navigate the thrilling highs and dramatic lows of the theatre. Together, Jayne and Lulu discover that, though dreams may not always come true in exactly the way we expect, sometimes bigger, better dreams are waiting just around the corner.

Theatre kids will see themselves in Lulu and Jayne, as Gavigan perfectly captures the excitement and nerves that go hand-in-hand with being onstage, as well as the passion that drives actors to step out of the wings and into the limelight.

A supporting cast of quirky characters brings Lulu’s world to vivid life with antics that will delight readers of all ages, while Lulu’s sassy narration invites them to share in the joke. This uplifting tale of ambition, determination, and friendship will inspire kids to dream big, work hard, and never give up hope.

About the Author

Jenna Gavigan, a fourth generation New Yorker, grew up dreaming of Broadway. At age sixteen she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy, opposite Bernadette Peters. Since then she’s appeared in a half-dozen films, on more than a dozen television shows, and on east and west coast stages, most recently Off-Broadway in the world premiere of Straight. Jenna graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Creative Writing, where she focused on fiction, television, and screenwriting. She lives in a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment with her husband, Kevin. This is her first novel.