The Taming
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: June 13, 2017 6:41 PM | Last Updated: June 13, 2017
Teresa Toten and Eric Walters
Katie likes to believe she's invisible. It seems so much safer than being exposed as who she is: shy, poor and vulnerable. So getting up in front of audience as the lead in her school's production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: "My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it! Invisible Katie became visible Katherina."
Evan is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get noticed and he uses every one of the skills he's perfected from years of being the new kid at yet another new school. Rich, smart and ridiculously charming, he's like nothing and no one Katie has ever encountered. How then could someone like him possibly be interested in someone like her? But before she knows it they are inseparable. Over the dizzying course of their relationship, Katie must confront the fact that the power of love can conceal darker truths. (From PRH Canada Young Readers)
From the book
The noises in my head got louder. It was like I was a walking construction site. Metal crashed into concrete and a relentless hammering pounded "Run, Katie, get off the stage, freak, hide, hide." Instead I clutched my script tighter. I was projectile sweating. I knew from auditions last week that gripping the pages with my wet hands would end up moulding my script into a rock-hard and useless bow tie. "Cut and run, Katie. Go! "
I focused on my most important audience member. Ms. Cooper smiled at me like I'd just discovered penicillin. "That was lovely, Katie. Nice tone and perfect clarity. I'm sure our director would agree." Travis nodded and gave me his signature A-OK sign.
We were in the middle of our first read-through in our first script meeting. Travis hadn't taken over the reins from Ms. Cooper yet. That would happen in first rehearsals, starting tomorrow. It should have been more reassuring that the director was an actual friend. Thing is, Travis was just as surprised as I was that I got the lead. So how was he going to save me when they realized the massive mistake they'd all made when they gave me Katherina, the shrew, the lead role? It could get ugly.
From The Taming by Teresa Toten and Eric Walters ©2012. Published by PRH Canada Young Readers.