Stacy Davidowitz

Come see Ali Stroker and me do a storytime event through the Theatre Division at New York Public Library for the
Performing Arts! We'll sing, we'll act, we'll read, we'll chat! 11 AM and then 1 PM. 45 min. each storytime.

Come to the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood ("The Y") where I'll be presenting an interactive author visit! Through generous funding from the Brooke Jackman Foundation, the Y offers family literacy programming for children ages 5-10. This program supports developing literacy skills in young learners while also fostering a lifelong love of reading.

Excited to be back at PS/IS 187, selling my book babies, promoting Uptown Stories, and supporting Friends of 187, whose mission is to bring arts into the school day. :)

Swing by Fountain Bookshop 5-7 PM to chat books with local authors! I'll be there among amazing local authors! 

Thrilled to make a virtual appearance at Shanghai's Battle of the Books, featuring The Chance to Fly. I'll be visiting at 10:15 PM the night before so that I can reach students at 10:15 AM the next day! 

Join Ali Stroker and me at 3 PM as we launch our paperback of Cut Loose! with a performance, chat, and Q+A at Fountain Bookshop. This adorable indie bookstore just opened a few months ago - by the amazing Karah Rempe of Dutch Baby Bakery - and sells gourmet ice cream from Jane's in Kingston! I mean...the dream. 

The Drama Book Show podcast just released ep. 33 "Cut Loose! with Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz." Listen to the amazing hosts/DBS staff, David Rigano and Mark-Eugene Garcia as they open with a conversation about a surprise visit from the legendary Laura Linney, and then play our Drama Book Shop author event from November 2023.  

Everybody cut loose, Footloose! Proud that Ali Stroker and I with Abrams Kids - Amulet have released the paperback of Cut Loose! on shelves everywhere books are sold. I recommend hitting up my local Washington Heights indie stores: Word Up Community Bookshop and The Fountain Bookshop!

I've had the absolute pleasure of visiting the fifth and sixth graders for Career Day and chatting about being an author. Lots of great questions. No, I don't get paid vacation days... I'm also on my fourth school year in residency there through Uptown Stories, teaching improvisation to the middle school kiddos!

Through Uptown Stories, I've had the absolute pleasure of teaching creative writing after school Monday through Friday at Castle Bridge Elementary School, a dual language school in Washington Heights. I loved visiting the Kapok 2nd/3rd bridge classroom during the day to do a Camp Rolling Hills author visit! The kids had a blast reading/performing letters written by the campers! 

Excited to be back at Kid Lit through Word Up Community Bookshop. This time the theme is MUSIC, and I'll be facilitating a musical theater / book workshop!

I had the thrill of narrating all four Camp Rolling Hills books, out on Audible now! Thanks to Recorded Books and all the amazing support I got in the editing and recording process!

The Chance to Fly is one of eight MG novels in the 2025 Shanghai Battle of the Books, which hopefully means thousands of readers in Shanghai! Honored to be among the other seven stellar books!

Excited for The Chance to Fly to be one of 100 awesome MG books on this list!

Super pumped to share that The Chance to Fly made The Week Junior's Summer of Reading List - The 50 Books Kids Love Most! 250 middle graders across the country voted on their favorite books of all time, across years and genres and the top 50 made this list alongside books by Judy Blume, RJ Palacio, JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, Stuart Gibbs, Jeff Kinney, Dav Pilkey, Kelly Yang, Dusti Bowling, Chris Colfer, Kwame Alexander, Jerry Craft, Suzanne Collins, and so many more!

Proud to join the NYC Public School's Theater PD as both a theater educator and as an author. The Chance to Fly will be distributed to all the theater teachers in NYC who are present!

Come by PS/IS 187 and support Friends of 187, bringing arts into the school day. I'll be there selling my books and promoting Uptown Stories!

Join Ali Stroker and me at Bookends, NJ at 3 PM for a talkback and signing of Cut Loose!

Check out Scholastic Kids Press as 11-year-old journalist, Deirdre Liebman writes about Ali Stroker and our book series in her article, "Tony Award Winner Has Advice for Young People."

Join Ali Stroker and me at The Drama Book Shop at 7:30 PM once more for a talkback and signing of Cut Loose!

Check out US Weekly as they follow Ali Stroker on the day of our launch of CUT LOOSE! 

Join Ali Stroker and me at Museum of Broadway (145 w 45th Street) at 5 PM on Tuesday, Oct 24 for a book signing and talkback! Super pumped and hope to see you there! Reserve your free spot here!

At last! The sequel to The Chance to Fly is out there in the world. You can pre-order/purchase at abramsbooks.com or wherever books are sold. Full of heart, friendship, and so much song, Cut Loose! by Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is an uplifting story about embracing your strengths, standing out, and standing up for what you believe in.

Check out the news on Cut Loose! featuring my coauthor, Ali Stroker!

My coauthor, Ali Stroker, chats with Al Roker on The Today Show again, this time about Cut Loose!

Check out the awesome interview with my coauthor, Ali Stroker: "Ali Stroker Has Tips For Fellow Sleep-Deprived Working Moms" where she gives promised tips and talks about our collaboration on The Chance to Fly and Cut Loose!

Thrilled to learn that CUT LOOSE! was chosen as The Week Junior Book Club - October Book of the Month for kids and families to read and discuss together! The Week Junior Kids is a weekly magazine for kids 8-14 and covers everything from books to current events to science to tech to nature!

Thrilled to find a glowing review from Kirkus Reviews, two quotes below!

"Stroker and Davidowitz poignantly and perceptively explore external and internalized ableism; in particular, Nat’s initially awkward reaction to a nonspeaking student is uncomfortably realistic. But the infectious enthusiasm for theater never wanes, and a stirring conclusion leaves readers on a high note."

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"A rousing celebration of friendship, self-expression, and self-advocacy."

The Chance to Fly has been nominated for a Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award. It's one of 12 books for readers in 6th through 8th grade, and the other nominations are absolute stars. Thrilled and honored, and can't wait for the kids of Louisiana to read, review, and consider Chance!

Uptown Kid Lit—Word Up Community Bookshop's mini book festival for kids and teens—is back in 2023 with local authors, giveaways, story times, activities, workshops, and more! I'll be on a panel with amazing middle grade authors @alex_v_mendez and @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich at 1 PM!

Super pumped to announce the paperback release of The Chance to Fly on 9.5.23. It's $8.99 at abramsbooks.com or wherever books are sold!

I will be selling and signing books at the ACT Winter Carnival at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where I used to work as a summer camp division head! Come by for the fun!

Check out The Conversation, academic rigor, journalistic flair. They've featured The Chance to Fly on their site in an article, A Librarian Recommends 5 Fun Fiction Books for Kids and Teens Featuring Disabled Characters. :)

Excited that my TV musical pilot, INAPPROPRIATE, coauthored by Michael Sottile, is a Quarterfinalist for the 2023 ScreenCraft TV Pilot Competition. It's also on Coverfly's The Red List, which is their leaderboard of the 20 highest scoring projects in their database, filterable by genre, format, and timeframe.

Ali Stroker and I will be at The Drama Book Shop on September 12th from 5:30 - 6:30 for a book event/reading/signing for The Chance to Fly, and I seriously can't wait. RSVP by emailing RSVP@dramabookshop.com.

Join me at the beautiful Sangha Education Center in Jericho, Long Island on Saturday, May 7th, 1-3pm for an interactive event I'll be facilitating: Words Rising LIVE - A Creative, Role-Play, Story-Telling Journey. In addition to their Project Stewardship young adult participants, the creative writing and acting workshop is open to general public! See website for DETAILS and to REGISTER.

THE CHANCE TO FLY is a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year!

THE CHANCE TO FLY made Book Riot's list! Nat + Malik forever! 

THE CHANCE TO FLY is one of readingmiddlegrade.com's 14 Best Middle Grade Books of 2021! 

THE CHANCE TO FLY made Chicago Public Library's list of 2021's best fiction books for kids 4th through 8th grade!

THE CHANCE TO FLY is a PARENTS’ Best Children’s Books 2021 winner on its list of Best Children’s Books 2021! #ParentsBestBooks

PARENTS, the leading source for busy millennial moms, tapped editors, librarians, teachers and literacy experts to nominate more than 250 titles published this year. A diverse group of over 100 kids and their parents helped determine 30 winners that deliver excitement, adventure, and kindness. The PARENTS’ Best Children’s Books 2021 are featured in the December issue of PARENTS, available now and on PARENTS.com/BestBooks.

The Chance to Fly was named a Margins Bookstores Joy Award Finalist! #MarginsBookstores is a celebration of bookstores owned and managed by and for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, and Neurodiverse communities. Nominated and selected by the #MarginsBookstores collective, the Joy Award recognizes outstanding literary works that represent the multitudes in our communities.

I have been invited to participate in the Maplewood South Orange Book Festival in NJ again. Can't wait to sign and sell books in person! :) 

I have been invited to participate in the National Book Festival, along with my co-writer of THE CHANCE TO FLY, Ali Stroker! Typically held in Washington, DC, this year it will be completely virtual. We're pumped! You can read press about our involvement here and watch our interview here!

THE CHANCE TO FLY, a workshop visit in the Merrick Library garden. Calling all tweens and teens! Come chat with me about the book, theater, and all things Merrick. **This one is close to my heart. I grew up in Merrick and attended Lakeside Elementary School, MAMS, and Calhoun. So much of the book is inspired by my experience with Calhoun's On Tour Company under the direction of the amazing Sal Salerno. :)

The newest episode of Broadway Profiles features an interview with my co-author Ali Stroker, who made history with her 2019 Tony win for her performance in Oklahoma! Stroker joined Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal in front of Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre, where the Tony-winning revival previously played, for a chat about her career, our new book The Chance to Fly and more. Read and watch here!

The National Education Association (NEA) selected THE CHANCE TO FLY as a featured title for their ’21-’22 Read Across America (RAA) program! They select one middle grade book per month. Interview with the incredible Marley Dias (who started the 1000 Black Girl Books campaign) here! And check out Chance resources on NEA website here!

THE CHANCE TO FLY was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year! It's a distinction chosen by Amazon's team of editors, and is not just part of an algorithm - which makes it even cooler. :)

THE CHANCE TO FLY was featured in The Week Junior Magazine - specifically under "4 Amazing Books About Theater Life." Ali and I shared with them our favorite childhood books!

More press for THE CHANCE TO FLY aired on ABC7 New York! My amazing co-author Ali Stroker was interviewed and if you watch until the end, you can see a clip of me awkwardly and enthusiastically dancing on stage at the flagship CAMP store in downtown Manhattan! Watch here. 

I was so excited to talk to my co-writer, Ali Stroker, about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY, live at CAMP's fifth avenue store! The event was filmed and streamed online. Also, have you all been to their store?! It's AMAZING.

THE CHANCE TO FLY was featured in Kirkus Reviews in their May 1, 2021 print issue on Diversity! My incredible co-author, Ali Stroker, was interviewed...check it out!

Ali Stroker and I opened up to Richie Ridge in a televised interview for Broadway World following our storytime with Lollipop Theater Network. Read and watch here!

THE CHANCE TO FLY, a talkback with Stacy Davidowitz and Ali Stroker. Ali and I discussed and took questions about disability representation in the arts, our childhood theater experiences, and why our middle-grade novel THE CHANCE TO FLY is so important for readers now. **This one was close to my heart. I've been teaching through Uptown Stories in Washington Heights, NYC for four years and my students perform their creative writing at Word Up each semester. 

Ali Stroker went LIVE on Disney/ABC's The Tamron Hall Show to talk about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY! Watch here! Plus, she sang Defying Gravity - watch her sing here!

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Ali Stroker went on NBC's New York Live to talk about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY! Watch here!

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Stroker and veteran author Davidowitz combine their talents in this resonant middle grade debut. Bolstered by realistic dialogue and Nat's engaging internal narrative, this endearing novel will entrance a new generation of theater lovers and charm older ones with its allusions to beloved shows. Read full review here!

Ali Stroker went on Instagram Live to chat with theatre writer Raven Snook about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY. CHANCE TO FLY is Parents Magazine's April Raising the Future Book Club pick!

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Lollipop Theater Network is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to bringing current movies and entertainment to children confined to hospitals nationwide due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Ali Stroker and I led “Story Time with Lollipop Theater Network,” a moderated, virtual visit for pediatric patients around the country. The kiddos were AWESOME. They acted with us, and one kiddo even performed his favorite song from Six the Musical!

Ali Stroker went on The TODAY Show to talk about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY! Watch here!

Ali Stroker and I had the best time doing a virtual event with University Bookstore, a fantastic indie bookstore in Seattle! Watch here!

Ali Stroker was interviewed by The Associated Press about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY! Also picked up by MSN, Detroit Free Press, The Bradford Era/Bradform, PA and more! Watch here! Plus, you can read the text story here! It was also picked up by Washington Post, WRAL, Chicago Daily Herald, The Daily Progress, Minneapolis Star Tribune, etc.

Ali Stroker and I had a fab time doing a virtual event with Bookends, a fantastic indie bookstore in Ali's hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey. We discussed our collaboration, did a short reading, followed by a Q + A. :)

Musical lovers, rejoice! Tony-award-winning actress Ali Stroker and I have written an inspiring middle-grade novel about a theater-loving girl who uses a wheelchair for mobility and her quest to defy expectations . . . and gravity.  Buy here!

MPIBA (Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association) is made up of independent booksellers in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. SpringCon is an educational show for indie booksellers, and Ali Stroker and I had such a great time discussing our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY at their author event, Right Book, Right Hands: Books for Every Young Reader.

Check out the interview Ali Stroker and I gave for Story Monsters Ink Magazine, featured in the March 2021 issue alongside Meena Harris, Mayim Bialik, David Levithan, and more! It's the literary resource for teachers, librarians, and parents. Our interview can be read here!

Ali Stroker and I had an awesome time chatting up our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY, at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference. Our thirty minute "Coffee Talk" can be viewed here. 

Ali Stroker, who made history with her Tony Award win for her performance in Oklahoma!, is releasing a novel. The Chance to Fly is co-written with Stacy Davidowitz and tells the story of 13-year-old Nat Beacon, a theater-loving girl who uses a wheelchair for mobility, who goes on a quest to defy expectations—and gravity—in her town's production of Wicked. Read here!

Tony Winner Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz's THE CHANCE TO FLY Book Will Hit Shelves This Spring

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"Writing Nat's story brought me back to my childhood, when auditioning made my stomach flip and opening nights gave me the butterfly-iest butterflies," said Davidowitz. "Something I held onto as a kid-and something Ali and I want our readers to take away from The Chance to Fly now is that no matter who you are and what challenges you face, creativity is key. You can break boundaries. You can burst through boxes. YOU can find solutions." 

Read here!

Ali Stroker went on GMA3 (Good Morning America 3) to talk about our book, THE CHANCE TO FLY, zooming to shelves on April 13th! Watch here!