The Takeover

Better Nate than Ever meets Love Sugar Magic in this fourth and final novel in the Fearless middle grade series from Hamilton and Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez about a young thespian and emerging influencer whose social media gets hacked.

Twelve-year-old April DaSilva loves performing—and connecting with fans on her social media accounts. Thanks to her role in the hit Broadway show Our Time, she is close to reaching a huge follower milestone. In celebration, she’s hosting a contest: three lucky followers will win a special backstage tour and tickets to the show.

April feels on top of the world, but her brother isn’t so thrilled about her attention always being glued to a screen. His warnings don’t bother April. What’s wrong with wanting more followers and likes? When meet and greet day arrives, the Squad helps make the event special. All goes without a hitch until April attempts to log into her social media…it’s gone. Her previous posts have been erased, and a new one that April didn’t make pops up. It’s even worse than she thought…she’s been hacked.

The Squad tries to uncover the culprit while April becomes a puppet of her stolen account—desperately trying to keep up with the public appearances promised in her name until she can reclaim ownership of the online presence she’s worked so hard for. But she suddenly has much more to worry about when it’s announced that the entire Squad has outgrown their roles in Our Time and may soon be replaced…

Mandy Gonzalez has thrilled audiences on Broadway, lit up the screen on television, been published in Harvard Business Review, and started a social movement. She recently starred as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton on Broadway and appeared in Madam Secretary as recurring character Lucy Knox and is known for originating the role of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award­­–winning show, In the Heights. Mandy’s debut album, Fearless, reached #13 on the iTunes pop charts. Mandy is also an author—having published a widely cited article in the Harvard Business Review on how to overcome one’s fear of public speaking. Most dear to her heart, Mandy is the proud founder of #FearlessSquad—a social media movement for inclusiveness and belonging. The movement connects millions of people around the world, encourages them to be their best selves, and helps them empower each other.

Brittany J. Thurman is the author of Fly. She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. During her graduate years at Carnegie Mellon University, Brittany’s plays were produced in Aspen, Colorado, and on New York’s City’s Theatre Row. She is a graduate of Kingston University in London, England, where she spent several years studying theater. She is a former children’s specialist and museum educator, where she advocated for early literacy, reading hundreds of stories to thousands of children across Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Brittany currently lives in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where she holds tight to her elders, her roots, and her childhood home. When Brittany isn’t writing, you can catch her biking along Louisville’s waterfront, safely travelling, and spending plenty of time with her family.