By Greg Howard
A twelve-year-old with a nose for business starts a talent agency and signs a middle-school drag queen as his very first client.
Mikey Pruitt has wanted to run his own business since he was small, so he launches a junior talent agency out of his garage and waits for a star to walk in. In walks Julian Vasquez, an eighth grader who performs as the fabulous drag queen Coco Caliente, looking for an agent. Mikey signs him, builds up a whole roster of hopeful young clients chasing the hundred-dollar talent show prize, and in the middle of all the chaos figures out something about himself: he's gay, and if Julian can be out and proud at school, maybe Mikey can finally tell his crush how he feels.
It's a comedy first, which is what makes it land. The queer heart of it, Mikey coming out to himself and Julian owning the stage in a wig and heels, rides inside a fast, funny, wish-fulfillment story about a child chasing a big dream. Nobody's punished for who they are; the tone is warm and a little over-the-top. For a child who wants to laugh and root for an underdog, this goes down easy and leaves them feeling good.