From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10–In this introspective novel told in free verse, Clare poignantly describes her struggles to reach her dream of becoming one of 16 dancers chosen for the City Ballet Company. At the beginning and the end of her story, the voices of other dancers provide added perspectives on what drives young people to the dedication needed to become a ballet dancer. From the details of the dance-class routines and the tensions and competition among the dancers to the intimate family crises, the teen's voice rings true. Her sense of failure is convincingly portrayed when she is told that she is too tall to join the company, as is her gradual realization that her years of training were not wasted. The relationship between her and her mother, who has made her daughter's dream her own, is insightfully described. When Clare's grandfather has a stroke, the family rallies around him and is forced to focus on something besides the disappointment about the ballet. Clare begins to refocus her life and appreciate the fact that her love of dance is important to her. This finely written novel touches on contemporary themes such as body image leading to bulimia, overly ambitious parents, and aging grandparents who can no longer live alone.
–Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Clare, a talented ballet student, refuses to define what she does as "dancing." First she must bloody her feet, strain her muscles, be perfect in every way; then she'll earn a place in the prestigious City Ballet and be a
real dancer. Clare's wise, loving grandfather, with whom she lives while taking lessons, believes this definition is too limited, but Clare refuses to listen--until she's dismissed from her program for being too tall. Devastated, Clare begins to confront a terrifying question: "What do you do / if they don't let you / learn to dance"? Her self-discovery is hastened by a (perhaps overly convenient) family crisis, during which relationships new and redefined help her understand that she can't allow arbitrary, external forces to stifle what gives her joy. The novel-in-verse's shift in focus from ballet-studio pressures to family dynamics feels a bit jarring, but it does make Clare's conflict more universally accessible, with appeal for balletomanes as well as readers who don't know a
battement from a
changement.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
