After a panic attack prevents Florencia from performing as Clara in The Nutcracker and her best friend takes the lead, a new dance style helps her face her anxiety as well as a troubled friendship.
Ballet is Florencia del Lago's entire world. After years of hard work, she is chosen as Clara in the winter production of The Nutcracker. Not only is she the youngest dancer to receive such an honor but also the first Latina. She's on track to be recruited by the best ballet companies.
Unfortunately, she suffers a panic attack on opening night--on stage, in front of everyone. And then Selena, Florencia's best friend, steps right into the role to replace her. Just like that, Florencia's whole world falls apart--the ballet studio expels her, and her best friend turns on her, tormenting her on social media and in real life.
But even though the one thing she was driven toward has come to an end, therapy and family support help Florencia open up to new experiences. She notices people at school she's never paid attention to before, and she even stumbles upon an Irish dance school and decides to give it a try. Can a new passion for Irish dance help Florencia find the joy of performing on the stage that she lost that fateful winter night?
* "This age is difficult to capture, and Méndez portrays it beautifully; Florencia has very grown-up feelings and actions interspersed with childlike observances. . . . Seeing a fellow tween navigate a difficult time will inspire not just dancers but any young person finding their way back to themselves." -- Booklist, starred review
* "A beautifully realized book that reminds readers that there's more than one rhythm to dance to." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Méndez examines the toll that participating in elite dance has on one child's friendships and mental health in this emotionally raw and honest offering." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Méndez offers readers a fully dimensional protagonist in Flor, an ambitious girl who balances her people-pleasing tendencies with her own desires. . . . Her grief, anxiety, and anger are all conveyed in a voice ringing with authenticity." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
*"An impactful and nuanced look at childhood mental health and the pressures children sometimes face when pursuing their passions at an early age." --Shelf Awareness, starred review
Available in Spanish! Translation by author!
★ "Unfurls in bouts of profound tragedies and hopeful triumphs, all wonderfully presented in Méndez’s rich, lyrical prose... A fierce, timely, and beautifully executed ode to artistic expression imbued with a spirit of optimism."― Kirkus (starred)“Méndez adeptly draws readers into the lived experience of the people from this time period. She beautifully captures the ambience [and] conveys the sense of terror that so many people felt and their desire for a more hopeful future… Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction that explores themes of authoritarianism and social upheaval with an ensemble cast of characters.”― School Library Journal“Raw and heartbreaking… a haunting, morally urgent tale of art, resistance, and memory.”― Publishers Weekly“Emotional, timely… Méndez’s touchpoints of Argentina’s history...create an intense landscape she peoples with a rich community of fully fleshed-out characters whose interactions highlight the importance of bearing witness, caring for others, and fighting back while living in an increasingly authoritarian regime.”
― Horn Book
“Poignant… complex… There is a lyrical grace to this novel, even when awful things are being described, that befits a novel built around the power of music to both disrupt and heal… the cost of resistance is often distressingly high, a fact that contemporary teens may find just as haunting and powerful as the young members of Río Babel fifty years ago.” ― Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Méndez constructs a tragic, heart-wrenching story within a story that delves into resistance, resilience, and the power of song. The characters are complex and sympathetic, which makes some of their fates painful yet galvanizing. This is for readers who welcome books that confront tragedy, especially fans of historical fiction, music, and fighting authoritarianism.” ― Booklist
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Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is an Argentine-American author. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
