Title: Dancer
Author: Lorri Hewett
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books
Ages: 12 and up
ISBN: 0525459685
Sixteen-year-old ballerina Stephanie lives for ballet, and dreams of a future as a professional dancer in New York. However, her parents think she ought to get serious about planning for college. Stephanie begins to wonder if she has what it takes or if there is room for black ballerinas in the spotlight when a new Russian student steals the lead role in the school performance.
Help arrives in the form of a self-appointed mentor, Miss Winnie, who once studied with the founder of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Miss Winnie sees promise in Stephanie, and works to help her succeed. Miss Winnie’s nephew, Vance, a talented but unmotivated dancer, becomes her dance partner and potentially more.