Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer (Step Into Reading, Step 4) - Softcover

DePrince, Michaela; Deprince, Elaine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385755155 ISBN 13: 9780385755153

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014

Synopsis

Perfect for newly independent readers—discover the amazing life of one of America’s top ballerinas, Michaela DePrince, whose story is soon to be told in a major motion picture directed by Madonna.
 
At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and quickly decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. She has been dancing ever since and is now a principal dancer in New York City and has been featured in the ballet documentary First Position, as well as Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, and Oprah magazine.
 
Young readers will love learning about this inspiring ballerina in this uplifting and informative leveled reader. This Step 4 Step into Reading book is for newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence.

About this title

About the Author

Michaela DePrince graduated from the American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis school in New York, and is a dancer with the Dutch National Ballet. She travels between Amsterdam and New York City, where she lives with her family.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1–3—This series excels at giving advancing readers challenges while building on the vocabulary learned earlier, and this title about a young orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone who follows her dream of becoming a ballerina is no exception. Michaela dePrince describes how she was sent to an orphanage after her parents died. Later, she and the other girls at her orphanage left the country for the United States, where an American couple adopted both Michaela and her best friend, Mia. Michaela's adoptive mother (Elaine dePrince, the coauthor) arranged for the girl to take ballet lessons, and she was an eager student. After years of training, her dream came true, and she became a professional ballerina. This exciting, accessible tale includes large text, with a pronunciation guide for the ballet terms, such as barre or port de bras, and simple drawings to depict dance positions. A good balance between text and the painterly illustrations will draw readers in. Actual photos of Michaela and her family were included as well. An engaging story of triumph, ideal for novice readers.—Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0385755155
• ISBN 13: 9780385755153
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Morrison Frank