Girl in Motion

De: Miriam Landis

Narrado por: Teralyn Davis

Aspiring artists—their grit, passion, and determination to achieve—are at the heart of this unforgettable novel.

Anna Forester is an intelligent and sensitive sixteen-year-old at the top of her local ballet school in Illinois. She arrives at the bottom of the prestigious School of Ballet New York in Manhattan, where she joins an elite group of teens who see themselves as the ballet stars of the next generation, racing to impress their famous teachers and win a coveted professional contract. Over the next two years, Anna’s struggles to navigate friendships with her rivals, stand out in a world dictated by conformity, and pursue her passions converge into a high-stakes portrait of a young dancer following their dreams.

Praise for Girl in Motion

"I couldn’t put down this novel about the ups and downs of life in a ballet boarding school.”
—Amanda Brice, author of Codename: Dancer

"Girl in Motion offers an inside view of professional dance training."
—The Salt Lake Tribune

"If you want to know what it feels like to be a dancer in vocational training (from a fictional perspective), give this one a whirl."
—BalletNews

©2010, 2023 Miriam Landis (P)2024 Miriam Landis

Superb YA novel of teen girl at a world-class ballet school

I highly recommend this sweet, realistic, and nuanced YA book that portrays the difficulties and triumphs of a teen ballerina. It is Book 1 of a 2-book series. Excellent narration raises this to a must-listen audiobook for anyone who likes ballet. The angst level is mild to medium. It is told in first person perspective. The school has hardly any bullying. There is no swearing or sexual content, so I think the book is suitable for ages 12 and up. The ballet terminology and dancing seem very accurate. The names of the ballet companies and schools were slightly changed. Also, they keep talking about the “Roisman style”, which I discovered must actually be the “Balanchine method” of ballet.

Anna is a nice girl, smart, a little shy, introspective, and determined to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina at America’s finest ballet company. She gets a little anxious and insecure sometimes. This is her story from ages 16 to 18, when she manages to get a chance to learn ballet at the NYC school connected to the ballet company she dreams of joining. Living in a dorm far away from her parents at only age 16 is quite an experience, and I found it very compelling.

The narrator Teralyn Davis gave an excellent performance. From her first words I believed she was Anna, giving voice to the character’s thoughts and insecurities. She really sounded like a teen girl, as well as making all the characters sound distinctive and believable. She is a perfect choice for this audiobook.

Realistic story

Great realistic story and cute characters! The person reading made a few errors pronouncing ballet terms but other than that it was great!