This third book of the series is written around the timeline of 'Maddy Alone', where the children (apart from Maddy) end up at the Academy to get an education about what it means to be an actor and all the other supporting skills people of the theater might require. 

It is a realistic look at what the life of an actor(non-cinema) might consist of, all the hard work, the workload and the struggles. The children are on their own and have to find their feet. Their aspirations continue to remain high but what I love best about this series is the reality woven into the dreams. When the kids start thinking of stardom, the real life knocks the door, peeks in and sets them right. They take each of these reality checks with spirit and that is something unique in books written aimed at children and especially featuring such a romantic profession. In the time we see unfold here, the bane of all starting professionals rears its head. It is not surprising to see the situation has not changed in half a century since the book was written, one needs experience to get a starting job and to get experience, one needs a starting job! They learn the ropes of the profession and there are enough to-do steps here to deter children from jumping on to the bandwagon after reading the book if they are not completely committed. Some of them learn harder lessons than others but by the end they have a new goal and a plan in place. I jumped into the next installment with a lot of excitement.
I received ARC of the reprints thanks to Edelweiss+ and the publishers. My review is completely based on my reading experience.