Becoming a Ballerina: A Nutcracker Story

by Lise Friedman, Mary Dowdle (Photographer), Mary Dowdle (Illustrator)

Overview

The perfect holiday gift for every young ballet lover.

Go backstage at the ballet with real-life thirteen-year-old dancer Fiona. Dozens of gorgeous, full-color photographs welcome readers into Fiona's world, as she goes from auditions, to rehearsals, to opening night playing Clara, the lead child's role in Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker. Experience the nerves, the hard work, and ultimately the thrill of performing on the big stage with a professional company. This is a beautiful holiday gift that young dancers will cherish all year round.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101652534
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/11/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Lise Friedman is the author, in collaboration with photographer Mary Dowdle, of the Junior Library Guild selection Becoming a Ballerina: A Nutcracker Story. She is a former dancer with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and the coauthor of Letters to Juliet, which inspired the 2010 film of the same title. She is also the author of a number of other dance books for young readers. She is an adjunct professor at New York University's Gallatin School and was editor of the award winning quarterly Dance Ink and the dance writer for Microsoft's New York Sidewalk, a website focused on arts and culture. Lise lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"A feast for the eye for all readers. . . . Ballet lovers will relish the behind-the-scenes look at this land of enchantment." — Kirkus Reviews

"A fascinating book for young ballet students and a fresh introduction to that perennial favorite, The Nutcracker." — Booklist

"Ballet lovers and wannabe performers will enjoy this backstage look at a young dancer’s journey . . . A lively look at a production for aspiring dancers."
— School Library Journal

"Friedman . . . has an endless store of delicious details and insights. Dowdle’s photographs, the result of extraordinary access to the production, immerse readers in the hard work of rehearsals and backstage life." — Publishers Weekly

"Young dancers will be entranced by the fascinating details of rehearsals, costuming, and staging, while Nutcracker fans will treasure this intimate view of a beloved holiday tradition." — The Horn Book

"Becoming a Ballerina, geared for ages 7 and up, paints a vivid portrait of Wada-Gill's artistic life, the years of balancing intensive dance training with homework demands and social activities." — The Boston Globe

From the Publisher

"Becoming a Ballerina, geared for ages 7 and up, paints a vivid portrait of Wada-Gill's artistic life, the years of balancing intensive dance training with homework demands and social activities."

The Boston Globe

"Young dancers will be entranced by the fascinating details of rehearsals, costuming, and staging, while Nutcracker fans will treasure this intimate view of a beloved holiday tradition."

The Horn Book

"A fascinating book for young ballet students and a fresh introduction to that perennial favorite, The Nutcracker."

Booklist

A young student in the Boston Ballet School lands the plum role of Clara in The Nutcracker through her hard work, determination and talent. Fiona's story, told in the first person, unfolds in the months before Boston Ballet's Nutcracker season, a Christmas holiday fixture. Daily hours of practice and weeks of rehearsal result in a splendid opening-night performance. Fiona lives in Boston with her mother and two sisters, one older and one younger, who also take classes and perform in The Nutcracker. Fortunately, their mother willingly and lovingly supports them. Fiona's activities with friends at school are of necessity curtailed, but she relishes the camaraderie with the other ballet students and with members of the company. The narration provides an illuminating and detailed picture of the hard work and single-minded dedication that is required. The many full-color photographs help readers see both the beauty of the performance and the strength of mind and body required for ballet. There are some humorous moments, along with a running description of Fiona's difficulties in hitting the Mouse King with her ballet slipper. The Boston Ballet production is beautifully costumed, providing a feast for the eye for all readers. A glossary of ballet terms would have been helpful. Ballet lovers will relish the behind-the-scenes look at this land of enchantment. (Nonfiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews