Sunday 25 November 2012

Magic Ballerina Book 1: Delphie and the Magic Ballet Shoes by Darcy Bussell (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E)



October 2008 and this edition September 2012, Harper Collins Children's 
96 pages, Ebook
Personal copy 

Themes: being poor, a passion for ballet, being given a chance, making new friends, entering a magical realm, inborn talent, popular ballet stories, lots of places to smile at, a very happy ending 


Delphie’s greatest dream is to become a ballerina, and she can't quite believe it when she is invited to join the new ballet school. But there's more to Madame Zarakova's than it at first seems and with the help of some very special ballet shoes, Delphie finds herself spinning into a whole new world…

Nayuleska's thoughts

This book looks pink and dainty, which is how I imagine to be. I know it's a lot of sweat and tears, but at least on the outside it looks effortless. I love ballet books, which is why I had to check this one out as it's written by a former dancer. I like how basic steps are explained at the end of the story. I was stunned by how good the illustrations look on my e-reader - even the cover (which was in black and white for me) looked stunning. There's a true magical feel to this book - which is appropriate since Delphie gets to experience magic for herself. 

I like how popular stories used for ballets are used in this series: in this book the Nutcracker is looked at. The main story is woven into Delphie's adventure, so the reader knows exactly what's going on. It was a neat idea of how all the magic disappeared. I'm intrigued as to how the other ballets will be transferred into Delphie's life in future books - this is most definitely a 10/10 read. 

You can find out more about this book and dancing on  Darcy's website. 

Suggested read

One series you must read is the Drina series by Jean Estoril which starts with Ballet for Drina

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