Jackson Bright in the Spotlight

From drag superstar Eureka O’Hara and bestselling author Dan Poblocki comes a beautiful, buoyant middle-grade novel about a boy who enters a local pageant—as a drag queen

When Jackson Bright wears a dress to school, he expects to be complimented on the fabulous polka dot design. Instead, he gets bullied by his classmates, called to the principal’s office, and sent home.

Jackson doesn’t know why people are saying that he needs to “dress like a boy.” And with all the discussions of how boys and girls should dress, he wonders where people like his best friend, Eva, who’s nonbinary, fit into all of this. Or why he felt so confident and happy while wearing that dress.

So when Jackson sees a flyer for the town’s beloved Little Miss pageant, he comes up with a plan to dress in drag in order to compete and show the town just how fabulous he can be. Before he knows it, he’s thrust into a world of rhinestone gowns and fiercely applied makeup. With the help of Eva and Jackson’s Uncle Aaron, he scrambles to come up with an array of dazzling costumes, a killer talent act, and a crowd-winning speech. As he navigates the ups and downs of the competition—while keeping the secret of who he really is and hiding a growing crush on his rival’s brother—Jackson learns the importance of staying true to yourself in a world that may not always accept you.