Attitude

by Robin Stevenson

When Cassie comes to Vancouver from Australia for an intensive summer program at a prestigious ballet school, she finds it hard to fit in. A clique of girls who have been at the school a long time don't want the newcomers to get any attention. At first Cassie tries to go along to get along, but when she realizes that some of the visiting summer students are being bullied and threatened, and that she herself is being sabotaged, she finally speaks out—and finds out how far some girls will go to succeed.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Sports, Drama, Canada

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Robin Stevenson is the award winning author of over thirty books of fiction and non-fiction for kids and teens. Her books have received starred reviews and have won the Silver Birch Award, the Sheila A. Egoff award and a Stonewall Honor, and been finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Lambda Literary Awards, and many reader’s choice awards. Robin was the Book and Periodical Council of Canada’s Champion of Free Expression for 2022, and received the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence in 2023. She lives on the west coast of Canada.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this one from Librarything Early Reviewers, and looking at the cover I couldn't wait to read it. I love reading books that involve dancing or the performing arts, so I was really interested to see how this ballet story would turn out. So you could say I was disappointed to find a juvenile story that lacked any real substance.

When Cassie gets into a summer dance program in Vancouver, she couldn't be more excited to take her dancing even more seriously. But Vancouver is a world away from Australia, and once she arrives she finds it hard to fit in. With girls who think they own the world, Cassie doesn't know where she should align herself. So when some of the girls take their bullying too far, Cassie decides to stand up to them, which proves to have many more consequences than she could have ever imagined.

Like I said, this was a pretty juvenile story. I think that the characters could have been a bit more mature and not as naive for being 13 or 14 years old. Also, the characters seemed to act in a cliche way. You had the main bully who thought she was the best and her best friend who did anything she said to stay in her good graces. Enter the new girl who doesn't want to take their crap and stands up. Like I said, your typical story.

I didn't really care for Cassie because everything about her and her friends kind of seemed forced. And the ending? It ends so suddenly and after only 134 pages. I felt like there should have been some extension to the story so that the ending didn't feel so abrupt.

While the story sounded promising, Attitude was not the book for me. The characters were too naive and I didn't get into the story at all. It went by super fast, but the story was left hanging open where a lot more could have been added. If you're looking for a performing arts novel with a great and engaging story, I'd skip over this one.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little read...

[Laureeeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good! 5 stars! Would recommend to anyone, especially those kids who love ballet! It’s so short and perfect! Honestly, this book was so emotional for me! It made me so happy, and sad, and mad, and I just loved it! So so good! I also loved the whole plot! I was like, pshhhhht, a ballet book? Well it’s short so I’ll give it a shot. And I ended up reading it in one sitting! I just couldn’t put it down! Overall, a very good quick read!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of my book is that even though people are doing the wrong thing and their your friend you should still stick up for what is right. You don't have to go along with them to be popular or for them to still be your friend. Hopefully they will realize what they are doing wrong. Its better to do what is right than to do what someone else wants you to do.

[OliviaK_C2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Attitude" by Robin Stevenson is 14 year old girl, Cassandra, who is a talented dancer. Cassandra gets accepted into a 4 week long summer intensive program for dance, which is in Vancouver, Canada. As she arrives at the academy where the program is held, she finds out that her homestay's host, Edie's, best friend is the "Queen bee" around there. Since Cassandra only knows Edie, she is forced to hang out with Melissa. Melissa has been studying at that academy since she was 4 and is a very outstanding and talented dancer as well. As the first day passes by, Cassandra dances very hard and at the end of the day, Melissa decides to "Vote" Iako, another girl in the program, off because she doesn't think she has the ability to become a professional dancer. As two weeks fly by, they are told that there will be an audition for the main character of the ballet the Nutcracker. Cassandra has always wanted to audition and now she has finally gotten the chance. As she is preparing to audition, somebody, *cough* Melissa *cough*, decides to push her and Cassandra ends up getting her ankled sprained. As a result, Cassandra cannot dance for the next two weeks of the program. I highly recommend this book to everybody. One of my favorite quotes from in the book is "A dancer has to have courage, passion and dedication." I think that to achieve a dream or goal, you also need to have courage, passion and dedication. I think this is a great story

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet but short on substance. Cassie's fourteen, an aspiring ballerina, spending the summer in Canada for an intensive ballet programme. She'd love to be accepted into the year-round programme, but so would everyone else—and some of the other girls want it badly enough to outweigh ethical considerations.

The last book I read from this publisher was similar in terms of length and style: aimed at YA more than middle grade, but written for struggling readers. I think this one's aimed at slightly younger readers than Crush—there is, amazingly, no romance—but I wished it had been, oh, double the length to give the plot a bit more room to breathe. The characters don't have much space for development, and there's never a question of who's causing trouble. I did like that the ending is rather ambiguous, and of course the aforementioned lack of romance (they have other things to think about!). It was younger/shorter/lighter than I'd been hoping for, but that isn't the fault of the book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book if you like to dance. It is about a girl named Cassandra who is from Australia. Dance is basically her life, she wants to go to a dance academy in Canada. But her parents aren't quite sure. Finally her parents say yes and she go's. She has to stay with a host family, which the daughter goes to the academy too. But the girls there aren't very nice to Cassandra and the other new girls. Will Cassandra be brave or will she be pushed to the breaking point.

[Felicia Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was good and a fast read.

[Rory Pannuti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attitude by Robin Stevenson, follows the journey of a fourteen year old named Cassandra who travels across the globe, Australia to Canada, to pursue her passion of dance. Cassandra attends a four week program at the Pacific Coast Ballet Academy where she practices ballet and other various dance styles. In Canada, she stays with a host family, who have a daughter named Edie that also attends the ballet program. On her journey, Cassandra develops new friendships but also must face numerous obstacles including a group of mean girls who are led by a girl named Melissa. Since, I am a dancer myself this book gave a look into different studio and how it's different from mine. The dance world is extremely competitive and only the best of the best make it. Will Cassandra make it?

This book kept my interest and I enjoyed it because it is about dancing which is something I do and love. It gave me a view into a different dance company, that is very different from the dance company I am used to. One part of the storyline I did like was how girls came from around the world for a passion, they loved. At this studio, there is so much more competition than I would be used to. For example, a dancer named Melissa, who has been dancing with this company since she was four, sabotages many dancers at the academy including Cassandra to ensure they are not better than her. First, she steals one girl’s shoes and threatens Cassandra’s opportunity for an audition. As a result of this, drama begins to build up more and more. Although I did think the storyline was good for a book, the drama was very unreasonable and not believable to happen at a real dance company, outside of this book. There seemed to have too much drama which doesn’t seem like a very typical scenario to happen at a dance studio.

Although the book did have its ups and downs it has taught me to continue following my dream like Cassandra did. Although Cassandra’s parents initially did not want her to attend the program, she did eventually go which was for the better. While she was there she learned some life lessons and was definitely an experience she will remember forever. From this book, I have learned that you should never let anyone knock you down and that you are just as capable as they are.

Overall, this was an interesting book that kept me thinking about what was going to happen next but it was very short and there wasn’t much rising action that led to the climax. The book is a short read and wasn’t as challenging as I assumed it would be. Therefore, I would recommend this book for someone of a younger reading level who also loves dance. All of the dancers at this academy eat, sleep, breathe and dance. Would you be able to make your mark there?

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourteen year old Cassie travels from Australia to a summer ballet program in Canada. The plot moves quickly, and glosses over a lot of details. There could have been a lot more description about the day to day life of ballerinas in a prestigious ballet academy. There are nice moments in the book where the dancers bond over how much they love dancing and how important it is to them. Too many books and movies about ballet employ the cliché that every group of aspiring ballerinas includes mean girls out to sabotage one another, and the plot of this book is entirely built around that tired idea.

[Amanda Gilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a dancer growing up since I was four, I was immediately attracted to this book by the cover. It was a short easy read in being a juvenile level book I found in my junior high library in the school I teach-so I will definitely be encouraging my students to check it out. I loved all the dance terms and often found myself doing them in my head while I read. The author-Robin did a great job in using the dance terminology correctly and constantly in the story. I just thought the book took a decent time to build to the climax and ended rather abruptly in the falling action to the resolution.

[Olive Garden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars this book was pretty good considering everything that happened. I think there should’ve been a different ending towards the end. Like why the heck did Melissa still get the part after everything she did. It just felt like that she got away with her actions and it was unjust and unfair. I do like how the author portrays the ballet world setting it is very realistic and it shows the not so good sides of ballet really well. Great read before you go into a summer intensive.

[Misha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in about an hour (maybe less) when I didn’t have anything to read. This book was okay for those into ballet, but wasn’t great in general. The storylines didn’t make much sense, the characters (especially the “mean” ones) didn’t really have much of an arc, and at the end it was kind of well oh well. It ended suddenly and everyone seemed to be okay with teen ballet dancers getting traumatized…

[Vee James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this short novel, one that would appeal to tweenagers especially if they are interested in dance. It's simple with all the adolescent angst that makes stories like this so adorable. The story addressed bullying and self-confidence but not with too heavy a hand. The protagonist solves her own problem, an important lesson for children of this age.

[Carlye Krul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am waaayyy behind on my reviews.

This book was kinda good, but not to great. The content was fine without any bad language or anything, but the author forgot to put in the extra spice which would give this book a boost. Also, the characters are pretty bland and the story ends on a weird mark.

[Linda Dutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this short novella for the dancers in my classroom - and while the narrators are a bit younger than my students, it captures the battle between competitiveness and honor well. Most athletes can relate to wanting the starting spot, but will they go to any means to get it?

[Sarah Creeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Interesting

This is a fun book about ballet. It does have life lessons about bullying and going after what you want. It's more for young teens, especially girls interested in ballet. There is no content to worry about, not even romance.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about ballet and this was pretty good. A bit short but I did enjoy it over all

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay. It’s short, quick, about as much depth as a kiddie pool but has a decent message... maybe a good read for a middle school aged person who likes easy, modern reads.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a pre-teen who loves ballet, this is an excellent book to learn about how to face bullying.

[Bailey Knopf · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was written for 14 year olds. i am in fact 24.

do not recommend🤒

[Nickole · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassie travels alone to Vancouver, Canada from Australia to attend a popular summer ballet school for young girls in hopes of furthering her career in dancing. Upon her arrival, she meets her home-stay family, the Harrison, who she will be living with throughout the program. Edie, who is a Harrison, befriends Cassie as they will be attending the same ballet school for the summer. On the first day of class, Cassie begins to discover that the competition at the school is threatening as some dancers are willing to do whatever it took to guarantee they succeed. In order to prevent having a target on her back, Cassie plays along, but she soon feels regretful of her decisions.

Attitude, by Robin Stevenson, was a good book as it emphasized on the difficulty of adapting to new environments; for example, Cassie had to change her daily lifestyle when she temporarily moved to Vancouver from Australia. Not only that, the novel was able to deliver a strong message about the seriousness of bullying as specific characters went to certain extremes to get what they wanted, such as physically injuring another dancer to get a lead part in a dance production. From the novel, I absolutely admire the protagonist Cassie because she developed a great deal of courage to take a stand to stop the bullying, even if it meant that she would become the next target. Even after being bullied, she never tried to get revenge with the antagonist, but instead, she would warn and help the other girls. However, even throughout all the challenging events, Cassie stayed focused on her purpose and what she loves to do the most: dance. In addition, I liked how Cassie was a relatable character because it was easy to connect with her, giving me an interest in the novel. Similar to Cassie’s situation when she undesirably agreed to support bullying, I went along with a group of friends who wanted to exclude another person because they were not categorized as "popular". This was not the best choice I made, but after realizing my mistakes, I resolved the situation because I took a stand to do what was right, which was exactly what Cassie did. Being a good book, I would recommend this novel to a younger audience as there are special lessons to learn and understand.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to be a ballerina, or just wanted to read about what is required to become a ballerina, then this book is for you. It follows 14 year old Cassandra, an Australian girl who gets the chance to attend an intensive four-week ballet camp in Canada. She has to deal with homesickness, although she is staying with a nice host family whose daughter Edie is her age and also in the same camp; the intense nature of the long hours of practice and many classes in jazz and modern dance as well as ballet; and also, bullying and snubbing from the Queen Bee ballet student, Melissa, an older girl who is a veteran of the camp and feels she is the best student by far. All of the girls are competing to be chosen as Clara in an upcoming Nutcracker performance, but Melissa leads the pack of veteran girls in snubbing the newbies, even stooping so far as to cyberbully Cassandra. Cassandra maintains her morals throughout, despite the strain in her friendship with Edie, who can't say no to Melissa. When the bullying becomes physical, things come to a head and Cassandra's future as a ballerina is at stake.

This book is short, part of the Orca Limelights series of performing arts novels. The characters are drawn well enough to move the story forward, but because it is a short book you learn the most about Cassandra and not much else about the side characters. It is full of realistic details about life as a ballet student, showing the hard work and competitive pressures involved, and that physical strength as well as strength of character is needed to succeed. Good middle school book or reluctant reader book. I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for a review.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie’s excited to leave her country of Australia to spend four weeks of her summer in Vancouver, Canada attending a prestigious ballet school. Upon arriving, Cassie’s quickly caught up in the pressure of dancing her best in the hopes of earning one of the spots at the year-round ballet school.

Unfortunately, Cassie learns that some of the returning ballet dancers will bully newbies like her in order to get the top dance spots. Cassie has to decide whether she will join ranks with the mean girls to ensure her spot in the dance company or stand up to the intimidation and fight back.

Does Cassie have the right attitude to succeed? Pre-teens and teens who like mean girl drama will enjoy this Orca-sibling book that offers a bit more depth than the Orca Soundings and Orca Currents series.

Like other Orca novels, this one will appeal most to reluctant readers, especially teens who enjoy some ballet with their rivalries. Each book in this series focuses on one performing art, such as music, theater or dance.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

14 year old Australian ballet dancer Cassie is spending a month-long summer session at a ballet program in Canada, with the possibility of auditioning for a full year, though she’s not sure if she can be away from home that long. She loves the school and the teachers and the classes, but is not so sure about the other dancers. Her homestay ‘sister’ Edie introduces Cassie to all her ballet friends, but Cassie soon realizes how mean they are. When she decides to stand up to them, they get a whole lot meaner. Cassie’s chance to stay at the school longer hangs in the balance, but she is determined to do the right thing, whatever the cost—and the cost is high.

This is a perfectly fine book for what it is, and I can see ballet dancers especially enjoying it. However, the characters are one-dimensional and stock, and the plot is textbook and hackneyed. While the writing is smooth, it’s descriptive only of ballet. There’s absolutely nothing special about this book, unless it’s “Afterschool Special.”

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to dance when I was young, and still love reading books about the lives of dancers, and I also think books about bullying are not only interesting, but important esp. for teenagers. This book is geared towards 11-14 year olds and I think this book was perfect for that age group. The story comes in at 137 pages which is a quick read for young teens.

I'm not the targeted age group, and in fact im twice the age group that this is targeted for so to me this book was pretty similistic, but at the same time I think it's a really good read for young teens. So if that is the age group you are in/or prefer to read then I think you will really enjoy this story.


*Thanks to Orca Publishing and Librarything Early Reviewers for a review copy. All words are my own, and my own honest opinion.

[Andrea Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was about a girl named Cassandra whom is from Australia. She is recruited into a 4 week program in Canada for dance. She stays with a Edie's family--with Edie being a student at that very school.

When classes begin the girls are told that they will look for recruits for the advanced classes so they know to give it their all. Cassie is quickly accepted with the "popular" kids seeing as she is staying with Edie and the queen bee being Melissa (Edie's best friend).

Things start to quickly escalate out of hand. It shows basic morals within the scenario in dance. It shows how you shouldn't be someone's friend just because they are popular. Doing what is right comes first even if they have been your friend for the longest time.

To me the book felt in a way unfinished. Sure there's an ending, but to me it felt as if there really wasn't a closure with the characters.

[Bee☕ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many Thanks to Orca Book Publishers and Library Thing Early Reviewers for an advanced reading copy and the opportunity to write an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was short (130+ pages) which would draw in and engage the targeting reading demographic of 11 to 14 yrs old. I always loved ballet growing up (I'm 5ft 10,...sadly, it was not meant to be) but I think it is a setting most young girls could relate to in one way or another.

The story tackled the issue of bullying with a conventional plot, conflict, resolution, and character development. I found it rather simplistic albeit, well written and not, as my 10 yr old daughter says, "one of those HUGE chapter books!". I would definitely like to see this in school libraries.

[Brittani Spalty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attitude was a very dramatic book about a girl named Cassie who wanted to go to a ballet program in Australia. Cassie's parents were very nervous saying yes to letting her go and be far away from her home in Vancouver. As she is there it has been very hard for her to fit in. She tries to fit in with the "clique". She soon finds out that the girls that have been there for a long time do not want the new girls to get all the attention, they try to sabotage the new girls. Cassie tries to stand up to the "clique" and speaks up for the newcomers. I would personally recommend this book to anyone I very much enjoyed it and for a rating I rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.