Act I, Act Ii, Act Normal - Hardcover

Topher Blakely gets the lead in the eighth-grade play, but unfortunately the play is "Rumpelstiltskin," the class bully picks on him relentlessly, and his beloved cat dies, all of which teach him a lot about compassion, friendship, and life.

Martha Weston says, "When my son was perfoming in middle school plays--including How to Succeed in Business, Pippin, and a musical version of Little Women-I logged a fair amount of time backstage, supposedly helping out, but actually eavesdropping. Time and again, I was impressed by how many of the actors really threw themselves into their roles, no matter how out-of-date or ridiculous those roles might seem to someone in middle school. I never came across any parts as peculiar as Straw, but I have no doubt it could happen and may already have."

Although Martha Weston has spend most of her career in children's books as an illustrator, she has also written then early readers and picture books. As her children grew up, she realized she wanted to write for older readers.

Marth grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She went to three different junior highs in three years and was not a Popular in any of them. She lives in Fairfax, California, with her actor husband, Richard, daughter Dory, and son, Charley.