Tiny Pretty Things

April 27, 2015
Gigi, June, and Bette are aspiring ballerinas attending the cutthroat feeder academy for the America Ballet Company in New York City. All three are on the cusp of determining whether they'll be relegated to the corps, or if they'll land a coveted spot as a principal dancer. African-American Gigi is the sweet dancer no one saw coming, nabbing roles that vicious, blond Bette and eternal understudy June (who is half-Korean) would kill for. Maybe literally. Shifting among the girls' alternating points of view, first-time authors Charaipotra and Clayton skillfully craft three distinctive, complex characters; even amid moments of cruelty and desperation, the girls are layered with emotion, yearning, and loss. This enticing glimpse into the ballet world is rich with detail and drama as the authors highlight its glamour and darkness, while revealing how jealousy can lead to terrible consequences, and the challenge that race can present to nonwhite dancers. A not-entirely-conclusive ending leaves the door open for a sequel. A Cake Literary property. Ages 14âup. Agent: Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider.

April 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-In the competitive and cutthroat world of pre-professional ballet, three young women are putting their hearts and souls on the line to be the prima ballerina at the American Ballet Conservatory (ABC) where they live, study, and dance. The book is narrated by Gigi, June, and Bette in alternating chapters, each of whom has something to hide that could ruin their chances at landing the perfect roles at ABC this school year. California girl Gigi is new to ABC and is hiding a serious heart defect that could end her dreams before they are even realized. June's mother has continually threatened her daughter with the prospect of forcing her back into regular school. But June will stop at nothing to move beyond being an understudy and to find out her father's identity. Bette, previously the best dancer at the school, is now being outshone by Gigi. Will Bette go back to her bad girl behavior and force another student to leave under suspicious circumstances, like she did to a former star? All of the protagonists are playing with fire, and they certainly can't trust anyone. In this guilty pleasure read, teens will be glued to their seats until the heartbreaking, cliff-hanger conclusion, which promises more to come in this drama-filled world of ballet, boys, and bad girl antics. References to sex, drugs, and alcohol are peppered throughout. Diversity is organically spotlighted here; many different races and body types are represented. VERDICT A fun and fast read that will appeal to fans of "Pretty Little Liars" and "Gossip Girl."-Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Harassment and manipulation abound at a competitive feeder school for New York's American Ballet Company.When Gigi, a sunny, positive newcomer from California and the school's only black student, is cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, blonde, powerful Bette is furious. E-Jun, whom classmates call June, is simply dejected; she's the Sugar Plum Fairy's understudy, and her mother has been threatening to enroll her in a traditional high school if she doesn't start getting big roles. The three girls take turns narrating chapters, and readers learn secrets about each of them: Gigi has a potentially dangerous heart condition; Bette pops pills to endure her rich, alcoholic mother's cruel remarks; June has an eating disorder and a vicious rivalry with her former best friend, Sei-Jin, that began when Sei-Jin tried to kiss her. Lipstick-scrawled warnings appear on mirrors, confidential medical records are posted for all to see, and acts of violence, both petty and not-so-petty, are committed. Despite the book's decidedly gossipy tone, however, each character is fully realized, and each is sympathetic in her own way. A climactic ending fails to resolve a few key questions, suggesting further twists and turns in a sequel. A page-turner with a heart. (Fiction. 14-18)

April 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 June, Gigi, and Bette are three students at an elite ballet academy in New York, in brutal competition with each other for lead roles. Told in the alternating voices of the girls, the novel explores each dancer's vulnerability and internal conflict. June is secretly starving herself, trying to be the lightest and best ballerina while simultaneously coming to terms with her identity as half white, half Asian. Gigi, for whom the very act of dancing could spell death, struggles with feeling confident in her beauty as an African American dancer among her mostly white classmates. With an emotionally abusive mother and distant sister at home, Bette teeters on the edge of stability, and her isolation leaves her unafraid to do anything to claw her way to the top. The academy is thick with treachery, scandal, and jealousy, as is Charaipotra and Clayton's fast-paced plot. Appealing both to dancers and drama lovers, this engaging, pulpy read skillfully explores a variety of issues, from sexual orientation to ethnic identity to single-parent households, in a glamorous, high-stakes setting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)