Saturday 29 September 2012

Drina Goes on Tour by Jean Estoril (Children's, 9 years +)

 
 
This edition August 1992, Hodder Wayland
154 pages, Paperback
Personal copy

Themes: life at ballet school, befriending the enemy, people have a reason for being rude/out of sorts, a little kindness goes a long way, dealing with public attention, unexpected career opportunities, life in digs for ballet dancers, the glitz & the grim of being a ballet dancer, friendships reforged, wedding excitement, blooming relationships, lots of laughter, smiles and tears

Book blurb
Drina's long kept secret about her past has been discovered! And she is totally unprepared when she becomes the centre of a blaze of publicity. How will this news, and all the resulting distractions, affect her life at the Dominick Ballet School?
 
 
Nayuleska's thoughts
I remembered so little of this book it was as though I read it for the first time (except I knew what happened in general). Unsurprisingly Drina keeps a level head in so far as she doesn't get arrogant, seek the limelight & revel in everyone knowing her mother was Elizabeth Ivory, the famous ballerina who died in a plane accident. Queenie thinks all those mean things and more about Drina, but a rough time throws the two of them together and they actually start building up a friendship.

I smiled so much reading this because it's thrilling to see Drina improve in her skills, to be modest & unassuming about her mother. She gets quite upset over it, but that's understandable. The end sees progress in her relationship with Grant. I loved all the details about theatre life, how people get sick and audiences aren't always that large in this 10/10 read.

Suggested read
Make sure you've read all the previous books which start with Ballet For Drina



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