From the outside, Manhattan’s most elite ballet academy is the epitome of perfection. Hundreds of girls masquerade in pink skirts and tight buns, their makeup heavy and smiles bright as they maneuver the many classrooms—arms graceful, legs light. People flock from far and wide to watch their esteemed seasonal productions. But, underneath the facade of beauty lies the dark side of ballet: the tear-soaked pillows, the bleeding feet, the spoons over eyes that have received barely an hour of sleep. For a few minutes under the spotlight, these young adults will do just about anything. But how far is too far? In Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, three students from the ballet academy alternatively narrate a haunting tale of the things ballerinas do after dark. Bette is the first narrator. It’s fitting, really, since she’s been first her entire life—lead roles in all the ballets, a handsome boyfriend, a face that can charm, and a mouth that can manipulate. But then comes Gigi, the new girl at the academy. Optimistic and bubbly, Gigi brings Bette’s life crashing down when she lands the role of Odette in the fall production of Swan Lake. Suddenly, Bette’s pushed into the background along with June, the third narrator. Unlike Bette, June has always been the understudy, never good enough to land the best roles. But like Bette, she suddenly has reason to sabotage Gigi. If Gigi is taken down, Bette can gain back her pride, and June will gain the lead role she has always vied for. It’s time to sabotage their way to the top… As Bette, June, and a handful of other students scheme against Gigi, Gigi’s paranoia whirls out of control. She tries to maintain her composure, but when is it her turn to strike back? Swan Lake is drawing ever closer, and one ballerina must dance the part of Odette. Ballet isn’t just pointe shoes and pink lipstick—it’s about fighting your way to the top, no matter how many people you push aside on the way. Tiny Pretty Things was a truly addictive novel. From the lyrical writing style to the fantastic world-building, I couldn’t detach myself from the chaotic beauty of it all. What I loved most was that none of the characters were perfect—far from it—but the authors still managed to make me like them, despite their flaws. Especially Bette. She was vindictive, backstabbing, clingy, et cetera, et cetera, but heaven knows she was the most interesting character in the book. I also appreciated the heavier themes discussed in this novel. Situations involving racism and eating disorders, among others, were handled with care and awareness. Even just the competitiveness was admirable to me. It’s rare for a book to be so unfiltered and raw about negative human inclinations, yet this one depicted them perfectly. It’s certainly not pretty, but it’s real, which makes the book all the more fascinating to read. The one thing I would say is that, due to all the drama, the book moved at breakneck speed. There wasn’t much time for me to comprehend and react to the many sabotages, surprises, and romances. While it did amp up the intensity, it mostly had me scrambling to keep up with the events. Overall, however, this was an absolutely gorgeous novel brimming with action and emotion. If the premise of smiling, lipsticked ballerinas stabbing each other in the back (figuratively, of course!) isn’t enough to entice you, I hope the mention of multifaceted characters and moving writing will convince you to give this a try. Just make sure to brace yourself—especially for the cliffhanger at the end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. Halperteen, 2016. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Book Reviews
The Blackbird Girls, Reviewed by Anushka, 11
Exceptional books have the ability to not only show you what the characters see, but also make you feel what they feel and think how they think. These books go beyond making you step into the shoes of characters, by making you walk in their shoes. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman is that kind of exceptional book. This book explores an historical event of which I was unaware in a setting I knew almost nothing about — the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. The first couple of pages of the book were intriguing and drew me in. Blankman goes on to paint a picture of the earliest hours after the nuclear explosion — the crimson glow in the sky, the “unearthly blue” smoke, the metallic smell in the air, all set to the backdrop of fear of the government. The story is set in 1986 in Pripyat, Ukraine, and tells the interconnected stories of three characters — Valentina, her grandmother Rifka, and Oksana. Valentina is a Jewish girl who lives with her parents in the former Soviet Union. During those times, people were prejudiced towards Jews. Valentina was bullied and teased by girls like Oksana, the second character, who has been taught that Jews are thieves and fools. Both girls’ parents’ work in the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Then something strange, unexpected, and devastating happens. The nuclear power plant explodes causing radiation to spread throughout the city. Together, Valentina and Oksana escape to Leningrad, Russia to live with Rifka, Valentina’s grandmother, who is the third major character in the book. Valentina had never really known her grandmother until she came to live with her. Rifka shares her experiences about life during the Holocaust with the girls and they learn how she had to leave her home and family to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. These women stand together and experience pain, fear, and persistence as friends, as the “Blackbird Girls.” The friendship between Valentina and Oksana and overcoming hardship are certainly central themes in the book. For me, however, this book is about the truth. In The Blackbird Girls, the Soviet government hides the truth of the nuclear disaster and dangers of nuclear power. The girls have learned that nuclear power is the safest, cleanest source of energy and an accident at the power station was a “statistical impossibility.” The government did not tell citizens that there is radiation in the air and they went about their lives as if it was a normal day. When people got worried about the radiation, they were told by the government that their motherland will protect them. Finally, when people found out about the disaster and the whole city had to be evacuated, the Soviets lied to the world that a disaster even occurred. Later, citizens were misinformed that radiation can be cured by cucumbers and milk. Even though the story is set in the 1980s in a country with a non-democratic government, there are uncanny similarities to the US. Like Russians, Americans have heard lies like these from our government for the past four years and beyond. So many people in America continue to be misinformed about our elections and vaccines. Like Oksana, so many people are prejudiced against people who look different from them, speak a different language, or practice a different religion because of lies they are taught to believe. Lies are dangerous. They can shape people’s perspectives and determine their behavior. This story taught me how important it is for the government to be truthful. It speaks to some of the biggest challenges of our times. Blankman expresses the agony of the characters in an unforgettable way. The death of many loved ones and the pain of the three characters makes the book depressing. Even though I wish the book would be more hopeful, experiencing the suffering of the characters through Blackman’s beautiful writing is what makes this book so impactful. I learned that sharing the experience of suffering and grief might make us move past prejudice and bigotry. But what I really loved and appreciated is how this book speaks to our culture and the moment we are living through right now. It’s a piece of historical fiction that has many parallels to contemporary times. I give it my strongest endorsement. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. Viking Books for Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
The Infinite Lives Of Maisie Day, reviewed by Pragnya, 13
Hypotheticals are born everyday, usually from seemingly insignificant occurrences that align together to form questions that aren’t necessarily easy to answer. Of course, they’re meant to stay inside the depths of our imagination, but sometimes they start to shape themselves into a culmination of coincidental thoughts. What if, one day, you woke up, only to find the world around you gone? What if all the color in the world had been sucked out of your body? What if, one day, you woke up only to discover yourself dead? What if you never woke up again? The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is a show-stopping science fiction novel that follows child prodigy Maisie Day and all the events that take place on the day of her 10th birthday. Told from alternating first-person perspectives, the story starts with our protagonist waking up on the day of her 10th birthday to completely disorienting darkness. As she slowly but (un)surely navigates her way through a different environment, our perspective shifts to Maisie with her family, celebrating her birthday like any other person would. With added suspense, the story starts to pick up, providing much-needed context through monologues and fast-paced realization. Maisie starts to question everything she’s ever learnt and her existence starts to take on a whole new meaning. Who is she? And was her 10th birthday ever meant to be? This story, although relatively short, packed in an extremely complex plot by mixing in concepts of science and math, while never decreasing the interest. It chose to focus on a few characters rather than including too many of them, and the author skillfully constructed a narrative between Maisie, and her older sister Lily. I especially enjoyed Lily’s character development, who went from being portrayed as angsty and uncaring to mature, sensitive and creative. This ties into a very well-done aspect of the story, which is how the point of view affects our idea of the characters. Maisie, while being academically gifted, does not let it get in the way of her child-like nature, and seeing how she views the world around her elevates the story. I especially enjoyed reading her thought process and how she incorporates her learnings into the real world. With brilliant foreshadowing, a unique storyline and characters skillfully woven to come alive on the page, The Infinite Lives Of Maisie Day will suck you in and make you ask the question, “What would I do if I had never read this novel?” The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge. Random House Children’s Books, 2018.
