Books for Summer Reading
Fancy Nancy is about a youngster who loves to be fancy about everything, her tiaras, socks, her room, food and vocabulary. She is adorable, but near disaster until she learns that less is more. Her adventures in seducing her family into froufrou and back again are charming, hilarious and warm. Written by Jane O'Connor, who has written more than 30 books for children, has given us a lesson in the danger of carrying a whim too far. Former dancer at the Pennsylvania Ballet, Robin Preiss Glasser, who has illustrated many books for children, obviously has a good bit of Nancy in her. The book is published by HarperCollins, www.harperchildrens.com. (Warning: don't wear any of Nancy's fancies to class.)
Teenage angst in class, at auditions and in performance is the stuff of this witty tale of intrigue, mystery and rivalries. Kayla, who wants to be a ballerina, but has a handicap (not what you would think) runs into string of threatening messages that almost unravel her. Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, by Dorian Cirrone is a Harper Trophy imprint of HarperCollins Publishers at the above web address.
The Ballet Companion: A Dancer's Guide to the Technique, Traditions and Joys of Ballet, by Eliza Gaynor Minden, is an attractive book, with historical information and references to various methodologies. The excellent 150 photos are largely of Maria Riccetto (Uruguay National Ballet School and now a member of American Ballet Theatre) and New York City Ballet's Benjamin Millepied (Lyon, France.) Many acknowledgements for information attest to the seriousness of the author to gain the most current information. The 333-page hardcover book, was published by Fireside, a division of Simon & Schuster and is available in bookstores.