Dancing has always been Sara's dream. An audition leads a scholarship to study ballet in another state. She's nervous about leaving her family while still in high school and moves into a new life with her host family. Her new ballet school is difficult and she must constantly prove herself. One bright spot is Remington, a dancer/choreographer who's drawn to Sara. As she takes on a new role as Rem's muse, she struggles to keep her sense of self. How can she make choices about the rest of her life when she doesn't even know who she is? Are the dreams she had as child still her dreams now?There's something about a verse novel that lends itself so nicely to a book about ballet. The short lines mimic the precise movements of dance while evoking the emotion needed to convincingly play a role. Sara's confusion about feeling like she's continually auditioning will resonate with teens and young adults who aren't involved with a competitive world like ballet as well as those who are. It's very clear that Stasia Ward Kehoe has a deep understanding of the ballet/arts world and it comes across in an accessible way. This book is a nice read-alike to another October release, Bunheads by Sophie Flack, but despite the similarities between the two books I think that each one has enough going for it that it can stand on its own merits.
I received an advance review copy from Penguin Group Canada.
Check out more from Stasia Ward Kehoe at her blog and her website.
Find it at IndieBound.
Read it with:
Bunheads by Sophie Flack
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Tara Lipinski: Superstar Ice Skater by Stasia Ward Kehoe
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