Tutu Much by Airin Emery

E-book published by Smashwords

This story follows the fortunes of five young girls who are selected to attend an intensive summer ballet school hosted by the New York Company Ballet.  They come from diverse backgrounds, and all have a very distinct approach to their dancing.

The girls arrive to register for their training on foot, by taxi and by limousine.  We get a small insight into each girl by the manner of their arrival, who they are with, and how they are dressed.  Four of the girls find themselves sharing a room, much to the chagrin of one or two of them.  Due to a plumbing problem which causes a small flood, the fifth girl has to be billeted with the other four, causing quite a few upsets between the girls.  They are living and training together, each with their own plan for dealing with this opportunity to advance their ballet aspirations.  They all want to succeed for very different reasons, and some are prepared to abuse their bodies in the quest to be a ballerina.  

As the training intensifies, further problems begin to surface.  One girl in pushing her body so hard that serious damage is being done to her knee, whilst another is obsessed with her weight and suffers from bulimia.  Other personal and emotional problems are brought to the fore with the intensity of their situation, with pressure from tutors to push themselves to the limit.  They prepare for the end of term show, where all their hard work and effort throughout the summer will be judged, and also the possibility of them securing a permanent place at the school.

A simple story with interesting plot lines and characters make this a perfect book for teens and young adults.