Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
How to Stage a Catastrophe
Rebecca Donnelly · 2017
76/100
👍 Worth It
Sidney's theatrical voice is genuinely fun — the play-format chapters are a smart structural choice that makes this feel fresh rather than gimmicky. Supporting characters are thin and the plot leans on coincidence, but for a middle-grader who loves drama club or wants to discover theater, this delivers warmth and humor in the right doses. A solid pick, not a must-have.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety95
substance68
craft75
originality72
accuracy80
hype65
age-fit90
human-eye74
Penny’s verdict76
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