Tiny Pretty Things

by Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton Narrated by Imani Parks, Nora Hunter, Greta Jung, Laura Delano

Overview

Now a Netflix TV show!*Black Swan*meets*Pretty Little Liars*in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

From the*New York Times-bestselling author of*The Belles,*Dhonielle Clayton, and the author of the acclaimed*Symptoms of a Heartbreak,*Sona Charaipotra.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance-but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.

When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Don't miss the gossip, lies, and scandal that continues in*Tiny Pretty Things'*gripping sequel,*Shiny Broken Pieces!

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

04/27/2015
Gigi, June, and Bette are aspiring ballerinas attending the cutthroat feeder academy for the America Ballet Company in New York City. All three are on the cusp of determining whether they'll be relegated to the corps, or if they'll land a coveted spot as a principal dancer. African-American Gigi is the sweet dancer no one saw coming, nabbing roles that vicious, blond Bette and eternal understudy June (who is half-Korean) would kill for. Maybe literally. Shifting among the girls' alternating points of view, first-time authors Charaipotra and Clayton skillfully craft three distinctive, complex characters; even amid moments of cruelty and desperation, the girls are layered with emotion, yearning, and loss. This enticing glimpse into the ballet world is rich with detail and drama as the authors highlight its glamour and darkness, while revealing how jealousy can lead to terrible consequences, and the challenge that race can present to nonwhite dancers. A not-entirely-conclusive ending leaves the door open for a sequel. A Cake Literary property. Ages 14–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider. (May)

Francesca Zappia

It’s impossible not to get sucked in, and the cast of characters is so diverse and fully realized, you root even for the nastiest of them.

Booklist

Appealing both to dancers and drama lovers, this engaging, pulpy read skillfullyexplores a variety of issues, from sexual orientation to ethnic identity to single–parent households, in a glamorous, high–stakes setting.

School Library Journal

04/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—In the competitive and cutthroat world of pre-professional ballet, three young women are putting their hearts and souls on the line to be the prima ballerina at the American Ballet Conservatory (ABC) where they live, study, and dance. The book is narrated by Gigi, June, and Bette in alternating chapters, each of whom has something to hide that could ruin their chances at landing the perfect roles at ABC this school year. California girl Gigi is new to ABC and is hiding a serious heart defect that could end her dreams before they are even realized. June's mother has continually threatened her daughter with the prospect of forcing her back into regular school. But June will stop at nothing to move beyond being an understudy and to find out her father's identity. Bette, previously the best dancer at the school, is now being outshone by Gigi. Will Bette go back to her bad girl behavior and force another student to leave under suspicious circumstances, like she did to a former star? All of the protagonists are playing with fire, and they certainly can't trust anyone. In this guilty pleasure read, teens will be glued to their seats until the heartbreaking, cliff-hanger conclusion, which promises more to come in this drama-filled world of ballet, boys, and bad girl antics. References to sex, drugs, and alcohol are peppered throughout. Diversity is organically spotlighted here; many different races and body types are represented. VERDICT A fun and fast read that will appeal to fans of "Pretty Little Liars" and "Gossip Girl."—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Kirkus Reviews

2015-02-16
Harassment and manipulation abound at a competitive feeder school for New York's American Ballet Company.When Gigi, a sunny, positive newcomer from California and the school's only black student, is cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, blonde, powerful Bette is furious. E-Jun, whom classmates call June, is simply dejected; she's the Sugar Plum Fairy's understudy, and her mother has been threatening to enroll her in a traditional high school if she doesn't start getting big roles. The three girls take turns narrating chapters, and readers learn secrets about each of them: Gigi has a potentially dangerous heart condition; Bette pops pills to endure her rich, alcoholic mother's cruel remarks; June has an eating disorder and a vicious rivalry with her former best friend, Sei-Jin, that began when Sei-Jin tried to kiss her. Lipstick-scrawled warnings appear on mirrors, confidential medical records are posted for all to see, and acts of violence, both petty and not-so-petty, are committed. Despite the book's decidedly gossipy tone, however, each character is fully realized, and each is sympathetic in her own way. A climactic ending fails to resolve a few key questions, suggesting further twists and turns in a sequel. A page-turner with a heart. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173554956
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/26/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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