"High school has always been this stressful, but rarely this hilarious." BOOKLIST (starred review) More famous than ever after hitting the silver screen, the ever-dramatic Lola Cep is still in the spotlight vying with Born-to-Win, Born-to-Run-Everything Carla Santini to snag the lead in the high school play. Can Lola survive Carla's attempts at retaliation? Once the curtain goes up, which drama queen will take center stage?

It is a sad and shocking fact of my young life that my parents named me Mary Elizabeth Cep by mistake. I've known since I was five that my true name is Lola. I don't remember where I first heard it, but I loved it immediately. Lola. . . . Lola is romantic and mysterious. It's evocative and resonant. It's unusual-as I am. Mary Elizabeth sounds like the maid in an English drama. You know, "Mary Elizabeth," smarms the Lady of the Manor, "please show Mr. Smudgins into the parlor." Having a generous nature, I can forgive my parents this error, major though it is. I can see that it wasn't really their fault. They both watch PBS a lot. But that doesn't mean that I have to accept their mistake as final.

When I become an actor, I'm going to legally change my name to Lola Elspeth Cep. Or maybe Lola Elspeth Sep. I haven't made up my mind about the spelling yet.
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CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN by Dyan Sheldon. Copyright (c) 1999 by Dyan Sheldon. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

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Excerpted from Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
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