I Represent Sean Rosen

March 25, 2013
Sean Rosen has an idea. A big one that he says "will affect TV, theater, games, and especially movies." But breaking into the entertainment biz isn't easy for a 13-year-old, even one who subscribes to the Hollywood Reporter. Before reaching out to the (unnamed) "huge company" he hopes to work with, Sean attempts a trial run with his second-choice company. After creating a fictitious manager, Dan Welch, to help get his foot in the door, Sean gets an offerânot for his big, secret idea (readers don't even learn what it is), but for a movie idea. Throughout, debut author Baron realistically incorporates technology into the storyâSean (as Dan) arranges a Skype meeting with the entertainment exec; he also produces his own podcastsâand Sean's email exchanges with various professionals are dead-on. Because Sean is keeping so many secrets from his family, friends, and others, the story relies heavily on his long internal monologues, which can become tiring. But readers who share Sean's Hollywood ambitions will find his experiences just as eye-opening as he does. Ages 10âup. Agent: Julie Just, Janklow & Nesbit.

February 1, 2013
Thirteen-year-old Sean has an innovative concept that he believes will transform the entertainment industry. Sean's goal is to present his concept to a major entertainment company. Baron's wryly humorous tale depicts how the determined eighth-grader approaches this endeavor, reviewing the thicket of hurdles facing industry newcomers. When Sean discovers that major entertainment companies are nearly inaccessible to those without representation by either an agent or manager, he is undeterred. Instead, he becomes embroiled in a comical, although improbable, series of events in which he masquerades as his own manager. To further complicate matters, another prestigious entertainment company responds to Sean's inquiry and expresses interest in his impromptu movie idea. Suddenly, Sean must deal with industry executives and bewildering legal contracts. Through Sean's misadventures, Baron examines such issues as navigating the complex world of movie screenwriting and maintaining artistic integrity. He deftly juxtaposes these scenarios with Sean's ordinary life. Interspersed throughout the tale, Sean's reflections and witty observations regarding middle school life and friendship add a pragmatic yet humorous note. An engaging and educational primer on the workings of the movie industry. (Fiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from April 1, 2013

Gr 6-8-Sean Rosen has an idea for a movie, one that he's certain is worth a lot of money. Unfortunately, he can't get it sold because he needs an agent or a manager. Since nobody wants to represent a 13-year-old boy, he moves to plan B: he invents Dan Welch to represent him. When the vice president of an entertainment company responds to Dan's email about his client, Sean must keep the myth alive while struggling with the decision to accept the offer he has received. In this hilarious debut novel, Baron gives readers interesting insight into the creative process. The ending, though a bit of a surprise, brings the story to a logical and perfect conclusion, but one gets the feeling that this may not be the last time readers hear from Sean Rosen. Fans of Jeff Kinney's "Wimpy Kid" (Abrams) and Carl Hiaasen's books will not be disappointed.-Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy Library, Houston, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Grades 5-8 Burning with a big idea that he is convinced will revolutionize the entertainment industry, budding hustler Sean Rosen decides not to approach his preferred megabusiness partner until he has tried a dry run with his second choice. Inventing manager Dan Welch as a mouthpiece for his 13-year-old Midwestern self, Sean leverages massive chutzpah and a gift for gab into e-mail exchanges with a producer that lead to a $10,000 option offer on a movie he has made up, practically on the spur of the moment. The extended, chatty observations about his life, parents, relatives, family history, teachers, and schoolmates defocus the narrative, but Sean recounts his improbable success story in such a glib mix of moves and countermoves that readers will be swept along in the giddy rush. However, they may not like being strung along by Sean's cagey refusal to describe his original notion, or agree with his ultimate decision to kill the film deal rather than surrender creative control of the script. Still, heand Dan Welchclearly have bright futures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Upset that Hollywood big-wigs will not take a thirteen-year-old seriously, Sean Rosen invents his own representation. Eventually, his "manager" negotiates a movie deal with a major entertainment company, but Sean struggles to maintain the pretense and grows increasingly hesitant to sign away the rights to his story. Humorous first-person narration and email correspondences buoy a conflict that often feels surprisingly flat.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)