Limelight

Featured

4.3

0.0 (0)

340 0

Write Review Add to favorites

Author(s)

Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Publisher

Penguin Workshop

Genre(s)

Age Range

12+

Release Date

February 24, 2026

ISBN

978-0593889244

Buy This Book

Fame meets Rent in this powerful YA debut about a boy who must reconcile with his identity and insecurity as he steps into the spotlight, from Broadway star Andrew Keenan-Bolger.

"A powerful coming-of-age story...Fans of Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club and John Green and David Levithan’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson will enjoy this novel about theater, drag, and coming to terms with one’s identity."—School Library Journal

The only thing standing between Danny and his dreams is…everything.

For fifteen years, Danny Victorio has kept his head down, kept his mouth shut, and kept everyone out. But an audition for Manhattan’s most prestigious arts school offers him a chance to escape Staten Island—and his crumbling family—for good.

If he doesn’t screw everything up.

At LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, Danny is thrust into a world of fierce talent and even fiercer ambition. As he navigates overwhelming expectations, the ghosts of his past, and, for the first time, real friendship, Danny can’t shake the question: Where do I belong…if I belong at all?

Set against the gritty, vibrant backdrop of 1996 New York City—where peep-show palaces were giving way to Disney stores, “Club Kids” ruled the nightlife scene, and a new musical called Rent was driving teens to sleep on the seediest sidewalks of Times Square in hopes of a ticket—Limelight is a story about discovering your voice, finding your family, and figuring out who, and where, you’re really meant to be.

Editor review

1 review

A Teenager Finding Who He is in 1990's New York City

March 30, 2026 (Updated: June 24, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Described as “Fame meets Rent” LIMELIGHT takes readers on a journey back to 1996. Danny Victorio has been offered a chance to escape Staten Island and attend one of Manhattan’s top art schools. All he has to do is not screw it up. Which is easier said than done. When he arrives he’s thrust headfirst into a world filled with talent, ambition, and the ghosts of his past. Can Danny find where he belongs?

LIMELIGHT thrusts readers into this world. It transports them back to 1996 when Rent was just released and the city offered a mixture of hope and fear to young teenagers. The author did a fantastic job of capturing what NYC must have felt like in that time. The good and the bad of it all.

The plot moves quickly, keeping in pace with the lively city that it’s set in. I was never overwhelmed with the quicker pace of the book, but other readers may struggle with it. It comes down to what the reader prefers in their books.

Danny is a beautifully flawed character. Andrew Keenan-Bolger writes him in a way where you sympathize with his plight, but you don’t always forgive his actions. He’s a genuinely fun character to follow not because he’s always going through fun situations, but because he feels real. He feels like that theater kid who dreams of bigger and brighter things but has been held back by his family. It’s charming. Awkward and flawed and messy, but charming.

The book is tagged as magical realism, but that shouldn’t be a reason to avoid the book. The magical realism is there, but it doesn’t feel like it takes up a whole lot of the book. It’s metaphorical and powerful, driving home the community aspect of the book. It felt out-of-place at first, but as I continued reading it felt more commonplace.

LIMELIGHT is perfect for theater kids who want a book about found family and finding where you belong.