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This is a book review tour hosted by Blackberry Book Tours. A copy of the book was provided in exchange for my honest review.
MY REVIEW:
A book geared towards younger readers, but filled with life lessons that we can all appreciate and look back on no matter our age or experience, Lauren in the Limelight is one of those coming-of-age books that reminds you how difficult and challenging adolescence can be.
The characters are all in ballet school and have just reached sixth grade, wondering how they can be successful ballerinas and navigating their own personal struggles. A boy ballerina that wants nothing more than to be a wonderful dancer and rid himself of the bullies at school, Lauren who wants to be the best ballerina around, Caroline who isn’t the greatest dancer but really enjoys ballet, and the new girl Serena who is already on the path of being one of the greatest dancers in their school. Each character brings their own personal challenges and reminds us how life is never the way it looks on the outside.
I loved this story because of its timeless application about young adulthood challenges, the setting being a ballet school made it even more interesting as that is not an easy industry to be successful in and takes a lot of hard work from people. But it was really the focus on these kids experiences and how it all changes them over time into who they are meant to be.
GET IT HERE:
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For fans of the classic novel Ballet Shoes, a coming-of-age dance story reimagined for a new generation.
As she begins 6th grade, Lauren Lightfoot wants nothing more than to get her first pair of pointe shoes, enjoy her love for ballet, and spend time with her friends. Lauren and her friends Bryan and Serena are challenged to define themselves both on stage and in the world when they audition for the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and compete for roles in the spring recital.
“This is the ballet book I wish I could have read as a young ballet student.”
—Megan Fairchild, principal dancer with New York City Ballet and author of The Ballerina Mindset
“I so wish that Lauren in the Limelight had been in my local library when I was a tween-ager… I would have loved loved loved to imagine myself Lauren then and I know that tweens—ballet fans or not—are going to love it now.”
—Nancy Pearl, author of the Book Lust series and George & Lizzie: A Novel
“Lauren in the Limelight promotes empathy and understanding, and deals with the crucial moments in life when we gain maturity, break from our parents’ version of us, and become ourselves.”
—Peter Boal, Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and author of Illusions of Camelot
“Lauren in the Limelight centers around three young adolescents captivated by ballet’s mysterious, magical lure, but this book is about so much more than dance. The characters’ relationship and fascination with ballet is a prism through which we—and they—begin to discover and understand the complexities of self-identity, autonomy, and morality and that adults have just as many internal conflicts as kids.”
—Gavin Larsen, author of Being a Ballerina and former principal with Oregon Ballet Theatre
“We love stories about dancers written by dancers! Lauren in the Limelight is a novel perfect for young dancers starting their journey into pointe work.”
—Kathryn Morgan, former soloist with New York City Ballet
“It has everything. Drama. Competition. Passion. If you love ballet, you will love Miriam Landis’s book.”
—Mary Helen Bowers, Founder and CEO of Ballet Beautiful
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Miriam Landis
Miriam Landis is a faculty member at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was a LitCamp fellow, and an assistant editor at Simon & Schuster, Hyperion, and the Amazon Books team. A Stanford grad, she was also a student at the School of American Ballet and a professional ballerina with Miami City Ballet. When not writing, teaching, or dancing, she enjoys life on Lake Washington alongside her husband and four children. In addition to Lauren in the Limelight, she is the author of two young adult novels, Girl in Motion and Girl on Pointe (previously published as Breaking Pointe). Learn more at http://www.miriamlandis.com.
Jill Cecil is an accomplished watercolor artist who finds most of her inspiration from dancers. She was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has art and ballet degrees from Brigham Young University and New York University’s Dance Education M.A. program. She has taught dance in New York City public schools and art in Salt Lake City public schools. In addition to teaching, Jill has worked for several major NYC Dance Company’s Education Departments, including American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. She lives in Brooklyn with her two daughters. Her artwork can be seen at http://www.jillcecil.com.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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