LAUREN IN THE LIMELIGHT

Three young ballet dancers go through changes in Landis’ middle-grade novel.

Three narrators—Lauren, age 12; Serena, also age 12; and Bryan, age 11—each tell their stories leading up to their ballet recital: a rendition of Alice In Wonderland, choreographed by Patricia Dallarosa, a principal dancer at the nearby, highly acclaimed Pacific Northwest Ballet. Before their performance, they have some critical obstacles to overcome—this is the year their ballet class must pass their pointe exam and start learning a more challenging element of the art. Lauren and Bryan, along with their friend, Caroline, have been friends forever; they grew up taking ballet together on Mercer Island near Seattle. Serena is the newcomer. She moved with her family from New Jersey after a tragic accident took her older brother Theo’s life. Serena’s mother and brother were also ballet dancers, and Serena has trained hard at an advanced school in New Jersey. For Serena, working hard to fulfill her mother’s ambitions for her means giving up her other interests, including science and singing. Before Serena showed up, Lauren was the star of the ballet class. Lauren loves ballet with all her heart, but her father is adamant that ballet will never be a fruitful career. Lauren’s parents’ worries about money (and her wild older brother, Josh) cause tensions in the home which Lauren is always trying to counter by being “the good girl.” Bryan is a Black ballet dancer, the target of bullying at school, and seemingly a disappointment to his father, who is always trying to get him into therapy for being “different.” Bryan loves ballet but also yearns for his father’s acceptance.

Each character has something to learn: Serena must find her true passion, even if it isn’t ballet; Lauren must work harder at her passion and prove herself, even if it means ruffling feathers at home; and Bryan must grow to love himself and stand up for who he is, which will ultimately earn his father’s pride. This is not just a story about ballet—it’s a story about leaving childhood behind and entering adolescence with a sense of identity and confidence. As Bryan puts it: “Going on pointe also meant growing up, taking responsibility, and accepting that my successes and failures had more to do with what was happening inside me than external things I couldn’t control. The daily rigor, all those relevés at the barre to strengthen my muscles, rising up and down repeatedly, was the physical manifestation of the work I was doing inside. Getting stronger. More experienced. Wiser.” The story braids together the three narratives elegantly; the three friends support each other, challenge one another, sometimes let each other down, and ultimately work through each conflict to become better, both as individuals and as a group. A few pages feature black and white pencil sketch style illustrations that neither add to nor detract from the text. The prose is beautiful, and the novel’s themes of personal discovery, empathy, friendship, grief, and family dynamics are explored with subtlety and depth.

Impossible to put down—even if ballet isn’t your thing.