The readergirlz pick this month, On Pointe, is a verse novel, so today I’ll be sharing a few excerpts, as well as my review of the book, in honor of both Poetry Friday and Poetry Month.

It shouldn’t matter what you look like if you really want to dance. I want to.

Cats equal comfort.

Why can’t doing the thing be the goal? Where the fun is. Everyone should get to do the thing.

Clare is a dancer.  She wants to join the City Ballet, but she’s taller than most professional dancers.  Can she make it?  If she can’t, what will she do?  On Pointe examines what happens when our dreams change.  Clare begins the summer auditioning for the City Ballet, living with her grandfather, and chatting with her friend Rosella, who says negative things about their peers that make Clare uncomfortable.  By the end of summer, Clare’s perspective and priorities have undergone a dramatic shift.

Lorie Ann Grover’s verse beautifully conveys the work, pain, and pride that come with being a dancer, as well as the self-consciousness and alienation we feel as our bodies change us from children to adults.  Clare learns that our passions don’t have to be our professions.  This is a valuable lesson for anyone, but it is especially valuable for readers who are passionate about one art or another.

I would recommend On Pointe to fans of dance, poetry, or readers struggling to define themselves.

He’s changed. Different and the same. I’m changed. Different and the same. We can sit and remember how good it was, hiking, skiing, getting ready to audition, and be sad. Or we can be who we are now and try to enjoy the new parts.

Book: On Pointe (Affiliate Link) Author: Lorie Ann Grover Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Original Publication Date: 2004 Pages: 320 Age Range: Middle Grades/Young Adult Source of Book: Purchased from Amazon Other Blog Reviews: Big A, little a, Pie Not Included Links: Interview at Bildungsroman