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A Dancer’s Dream
Book Review
The book is full of courage and hope
A Dancer’s Dream is a story about a 12 year old girl, Stana, who trains at the Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg, She auditions successfully for the role of her dreams, Clara, in The Nutcracker, a new ballet. Stana has to go on stage even though her little sister is very ill and she has fallen out with her best friend who would like to have been picked to dance the role of Clara.
What I love about this book is that Stana has to train really hard for the role of Clara and she uses her feelings about her sister who is ill in hospital to bring lots of emotion to her dancing. Stana thinks that if she is successful and dances perfectly it will help to make her sister get better. I really like her courage. I also like Mr Tchaikovsky, the piano player, who helps Stana by caring about her sister and making her feel as though she is dancing well.
Overall, I think this book is lovely to read and I enjoyed the descriptions of Stana’s dancing. The book is full of courage and hope even though the first performance of The Nutcracker was not a big success!
About the Book
This tells the story behind the first performance of The Nutcracker ballet in St Petersburg when the part of Clara was danced by a girl called Stana. Based on Katherine Woodfine’s short story which first appeared in the Winter Magic anthology, A Dancer’s Dream is the perfect read for ballet fans of all ages and is a story for generations to enjoy together at Christmas time.
Author
Katherine Woodfine
Katherine Woodfine is a British children’s author best known for her mystery series The Sinclair’s Mysteries, which began with the Sunday Times-bestselling 'The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow.' She studied English at Bristol University and worked for BookTrust before becoming a full-time writer and launching the children’s literature podcast Down the Rabbit Hole.
Illustrator
Lizzy Stewart
Lizzy Stewart is a London-based British illustrator and author who studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Central Saint Martins. She is best known for her children’s picture book 'There’s a Tiger in the Garden', which won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2017.
In addition to picture books, she teaches illustration at Goldsmiths University and has written an illustrated novel, Alison, published in 2022.
Reviewer Profile
Alexandra, 11
- Reviews: 5
- Likes: reading, cats and Minecraft
- Dislikes: vegetables and walks
- Favourite Book: Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
- Favourite Song: Satellite of Love by Lou Reed
- Favourite Film: Guardians of the Galaxy
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