The first book in Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Make Me a Star series introduces six Teenagers, each waiting for that first big break Open call! Now casting for brand-new prime time series. No experience necessary. Tenth grader Miranda Newgate is visiting Los Angeles on spring break when her cousin hears about a casting call for extras on a new TV series. Miranda goes to the audition, but ends up reading for a bigger part. Then it’s back to Massachusetts, to term papers and biology projects while waiting for the call that could change her life. Stage star Molly O’Malley is a serious actress. But she could sure use the exposure from a network show that will be seen from coast to coast. Alison Blake is Miss Young America, but that doesn’t give her a free pass. She has to work harder than anyone else to prove she isn’t just another pretty face. Former child star T. J. Tyler is ready for his comeback. He needs the leading role to show the world he wasn’t washed up at eleven. Rafe Marquez has no acting experience. But he’s hot and hunky and goes after what he wants—and he wants to make it big. Bill Douglas has been on so many TV shows, this one should be a breeze. But in this business, you never know. Who will make the final cut and rise to stardom on Hard Time High ?
Ambitious Alison sets out to use her beauty and brains to move from television actress to director, while Bill discovers that an on-screen romance leads to problems in his private life
During a three-week hiatus in the filming of "Hard Time High," three members of the cast of the popular TV series--T.J., Miranda, and Molly--discover that there is no vacation from stardom
When the second season of "Hard Time High" begins, Miranda juggles an off-screen romance and the demands of work, and Alison receives favorable publicity for her role on the game show "Star Olympics"
Rumors of a major plot change--calling for the suicide of one of the major characters--to boost mid-season ratings means anxiety, confusion, and unrest for the cast of "Hard Times High"
Starring roles on the prime-time TV pilot "Hard Time High" give Molly, a long-time child actress, and Rafe, a newcomer intoxicated by stardom, a chance to achieve fame and fortune