Zibby Payne & the Drama Trauma (Zibby Payne) [Paperback]

Alison Bell (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Zibby Payne

Everyone is excited about the school play -- except for Total Tomboy Zibby, who thinks acting is utterly boring. But when she learns that the main character in the play is a soccer star, just like her, she decides that playing a famous athlete and having tons of adoring fans would be More Than Okay. After she gets the part, she realizes her character has to kiss a boy. Even worse, the boy is her soccer buddy ... and he may actually like her. That way. Zibby will do anything to get out of The Kiss, if it means rewriting the script, wearing plastic lips, or quitting the show! Can she find a way out of smooching on stage without letting down her cast members, or will she wreck the entire sixth grade musical?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a smart, quick-thinking girl ... learns that teamwork and cooperation are just as important on the field as off ..." -- CM: Canadian Review of Materials --CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"a strong, sassy, smart, and loyal girl who finds a way to be true to herself." -- Betsy Kahn, Children's Literature Council of Southern Califonia --Betsy Kahn, Children's Literature Council of Southern Califonia

About the Author

Alison Bell has never kissed a boy on stage and never will. In addition to writing the "Zibby Payne" series, she is also the author of Let's Party! and Fearless Fashion from the "What's Your Style?" series. She lives in South Pasadena, California, with her husband, two sons, and a very spunky daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: Lobster Press (April 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189707347X
• ISBN-13: 978-1897073476
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,097,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming/engaging combo of new and classic sensibilities for tween readers..., May 11, 2007

By 

C. Hendry "Cristi" (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zibby Payne & the Drama Trauma (Zibby Payne) (Paperback)

We've been waiting for #2 in this series -- my daughter got hooked on Zibby Payne in the Wonderful Terrible Tomboy Experiment. Zibby reminds me of me and my friends when we were 11 but she is completely contemporary as well. There is never a dull moment in the story -- it has a nice little lesson to teach -- and a hilarious and believable ending. I wish all characters in kids' fiction had as much going for them and around them as Zibby! Can't wait for #3.

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 8, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zibby Payne & the Drama Trauma (Zibby Payne) (Paperback)

Zibby Payne has decided that "drama is for sissies, not tomboys," so she has absolutely no interest in trying out for the school play, even though everyone else is. But when hotshot Amber comes to her for soccer tips, Zibby can't help but think that she would be a natural for the lead character, who scores the winning soccer goal at the end of the play.

Before she knows what she's getting in to, Zibby lands a part in the play...as "The Prissy Girl!" She even has to sing a solo about the color pink! Amber, of course, gets the main part, while Zibby's soccer buddy, Matthew, lands the role of lead male.

When an accident lands Amber in a cast and Zibby in the main role, Zibby and Matthew are horrified to learn that they must kiss at the play's closing. Mrs. Halpin, the director, will not back down, and Zibby must try everything to get out of this kiss, even if it means quitting the show.

I had a very hard time believing that a teacher would force two obviously uncomfortable students to exchange such an intimate gesture in public. Regardless, Zibby's second adventure left me with a few laughs, and a happy conclusion.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

5.0 out of 5 stars Starring Zibby, May 21, 2007

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zibby Payne & the Drama Trauma (Zibby Payne) (Paperback)

In Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment, a delightful girl named Zibby entered middle school and found a way to balance her time between two different groups of friends. In Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, she steps into the spotlight - literally.

When she first hears about the school play, Zibby is not very interested in it. That changes the second she finds out that the lead character loves playing soccer as much as she does. The role goes to one of her classmates at first, but when she is injured, Zibby gets the part. She is back on Cloud Nine, floating along happily until she learns that there's a kiss in the script. No WAY is she going to kiss a boy!

Every time they have to rehearse the kissing scene, she makes an excuse so she doesn't have to go through with it. She keeps stalling and stalling, trying to think of a way out of it, until it's too late: opening night is around the corner. Feeling uncomfortable, she abruptly quits. Zibby is as considerate as she is headstrong, so once she realizes how much her leaving has messed up the entire production, she becomes determined to set things right.

I zipped through Drama Trauma in one sitting and loved it just as much as the first book. Recommended, especially to kids who talk about "cooties" in the classroom or on the playground, and to teachers and librarians looking for a cute story to read aloud to those kids.