Funnyman Kevin Hart has written books for adults and with this novel, Marcus Makes a Movie, he makes a foray into authoring children's books with this novel aimed at younger readers.
In this book, we meet Marcus a boy who in addition to playing videogames with his best friend , spends a lot of time writing a comic featuring superhero Toothpick who fights a malevolent presence called The Dark. When his dad enrolls him in an after school film club he meets a girl called Sierra. Sierra, at first comes off as sassy but as the two get acquainted they discover that they are both creatives. She knows a ton about film making and is extremely patient and kind with Marcus. Marcus, for his part, learns about the nuts and bolts of film making and a little bit bout himself.
I for one learned a few things about the whole film making process and I am sure young readers will as well. Yes, it's easy to make a quick video on TikTok or YouTube but a full length film is a process that requires a ton of fortitude, grit and a can-do mentality because there will be hiccups along the way.
Some read alikes are Jake the fake keeps it real by Craig Robinson, Elvin Link by Drew Dernavich and Max Crumbly by Rachel Renee Russell.