Ballet Stories (Red Hot Reads) [Paperback]

Harriet (Com Castor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Red Hot Reads | Publication Date: June 21, 2004

This selection covers all aspects of a ballet dancer's life from the trauma of auditions through the agonies of training and rehearsals to the glory of live performance - against a backdrop of friendship, rivalry, disappointment and success.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?In addition to short stories, this collection includes chapters taken from novels and autobiographies. Although they are introduced with a short synopsis of the complete story, the context is not always clear and the endings sometimes seem abrupt. The selections examine the self-doubt and struggles inherent in the choice of dance as a career and present a balanced look at successes and failures. "Pulling Up the Old Socks," a chapter from Lynn Seymour's autobiography, describes the dancer's loneliness as a gifted 15-year-old Canadian studying ballet in London. Told through her letters, her sacrifices, dedication, and hard work are compellingly communicated. In contrast, "Wartime Ballet," from Margot Fonteyn's autobiography, is disappointingly scattered and flat. In "Ugly Feet Are Beautiful," a girl idolizes her older sister, down to her misshapen, tortured feet. Cynthia Voigt goes inside the isolation of failure as seen through the eyes of a black girl alone among white teachers and students in a "Summer Camp" for dancers. Most of the selections feature girls as the main characters. Unfortunately, the point of the story is too often hammered home. Sam is her best friend's understudy in "Samantha and Lizinka," which makes her work harder than ever. "Pauline Learns a Lesson" for putting on airs by having to yield a performance to her understudy. Average fare for lovers of dance.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. Serious ballet students as well as those who simply love to read about the dancer's art will enjoy this 15-story anthology featuring young people who are learning to dance or beginning their careers. Although two of the selections are drawn from autobiographies (Margot Fonteyn and Lynn Seymour), most are chapters from novels. These stand pretty well on their own, but sometimes they come to a stop without quite ending. Many of the sourcebooks are British and may not be available in library collections here, but American writers such as Amy Hest and Cynthia Voigt are included. Simple line drawings appear every few pages, providing pleasant illustrations as well as making the stories look more accessible. A nice addition to larger collections. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (June 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753410133
• ISBN-13: 978-0753410134
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,105,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read For A Dancer, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballet Stories (Story Library) (Paperback)

This book yields a wide variety of stories about ballet, by many different authors. Some of the stories did not really interest me, as I prefer books that are written by experienced dancers, but a worthwhile read all the same! Buy it!

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a dancer read this!, August 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballet Stories (Story Library) (Paperback)

On my way to West Virginia flying alone I read this book it kept me going for hours. I didn't want to put it down! It has such wonderful stories in it and since I love the world of dance especially ballet(which I've been doing for 9 years.) If anyone knows where I can locate other books like this email me!

4.0 out of 5 stars content of the book, May 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballet Stories (Story Library) (Paperback)

This book is a treasure trove of stories! Inspiring to the young dancer, it is also interesting to the non dancer. It compiles some of the best stories ever written about ballet