11 inspirational books about characters following their musical theater dreams

From High School Musical to Glee, the ins and outs of being a musical theater kid have occupied an increasingly large part of the pop culture landscape. Now Jason Katims is doing it again with the feel-good TV series Rise, which follows a high school theater department that puts on controversial musicals in a conservative town. To gear up for the premiere, we've rounded up 11 of our favorite musical theater books. Click through this slideshow to check them out.

LaMarche tells the story of a group of friends aching for stardom. As graduation time nears, Joy, Diego, Liv, Ethan, and Dave start to feel the pressure of their ambition and the shifting nature of their friendship.

Get it here.

Two teens share the same name but lead very different lives in this hilarious high school musical tale told by two of the biggest YA names.

Get it here.

A sequel of sorts, Hold Me Closer brings back Will Grayson's Tiny, the larger-than-life and irresistibly jovial queer character created by Levithan and John Green. Here, Levithan tells the glittering story of Tiny through big musical numbers, giving him the stage he deserves.

Get it here.

Margo McKenna is a girl in love with genies, but when she’s confronted with becoming a genie herself, everything changes. Can she still perform in the school musical she's been waiting for? Can she handle her new powers?

Get it here.

This is an amusing series about life after Broadway, small town musical theater, and friendship. Join Jack and Louisa as they live out their geeky-musical theater dreams.

Get it here.

A young and ambitious Broadway apprentice is close to achieving her dreams of becoming a show producer, but after an unforeseen change in the industry, Scarlett Savoy finds herself struggling with the dark side of Broadway.

Get it here.

In this action-packed novel, Cedar dives into the magical and mysterious world of the Summerlost theater festival. She finds herself making new friends, trying to solve a Hollywood mystery, and grappling with the death of her father -- all in one summer.

Get it here.

Nate, a young musical theater fan, dreams of starring in his own Broadway show. Follow him as he fights to make his stage dreams a reality in this Tim Federle-penned classic series.

Get it here.

Follow Callie as she takes on a big challenge: creating the most amazing set for her middle school production of Moon Over Mississippi. Plus: dealing with the drama, on and off the stage, that comes with producing a musical.

Get it here.

Three orphans discover their hidden talents after they're enrolled in theater school by their famous grandmother. Unable to afford the tuition, they receive scholarships from the now-grown orphans from Ballet Shoes. Can they live up to the legacy of their patrons?

Get it here.

A father and daughter are forced to deal with years of pent-up emotions after confusing Into the Woods with a fairy tale that has a happy ending. It's a novel about the power of love, music, and theater.

Get it here.