Nutcracked

by Susan Adrian

Give the gift of ballet and magic this Christmas with an original take on The Nutcracker ballet!

Georgie has waited for this moment her whole life--to dance the part of Clara in The Nutcracker ballet. And when she finally gets the part, it's like a dream come true. . . .

Literally.

Every time Georgie dances with the Nutcracker doll, she leaves the ballet studio and enters a world where everything around her-the old wooden furniture, the Christmas tree, the carefully wrapped presents-is larger than life. It's so magical, Georgie can't wait to return again and again.

Then the Nutcracker's magic seeps into the real world, putting Georgie's friend in danger. Everything is falling apart, and it's almost Christmas! Can Georgie save her friend, the Nutcracker, and most of all, herself?

Genres: Middle Grade, Christmas, Fantasy, Retellings, Childrens, Young Adult, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published September 26, 2017

About the author

Susan Adrian is a 4th-generation Californian who somehow stumbled into living in Montana. In the past she danced in a ballet company and worked in the fields of exotic pet-sitting, clothes-schlepping, and bookstore management. She’s settled in, mostly, as a scientific editor. When she’s not with her family, she keeps busy researching, traveling, and writing more books.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a girl who achieves her dream to dance as Clara in the Nutcracker . . .and then enters another dream (or is it?) where she really is helping the nutcracker defeat the Mouse King! I liked the friends and family dynamic that was happening, but felt like the magical world wasn't as fully realized as it could have been. There was a lot going on, between trying to dance her best, strife with her best friend, family issues including a sick grandfather, and then this magical element, so I felt everything happened too slow and then too fast.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute blend of middle grade magical realism and real issues that middle school kids face. The author’s love of the ballet really came through in her writing. The story had a quick pace. I would have liked it to be a little longer, but it was still a cute, fast read.

[Alysha (For The Love of Christian Fiction) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an adorable, magical story! It was an adorable middle grade book perfect for anyone obsessed with the Nutcracker story, and/or ballet.

5/5 stars

[Charlotte🫶 · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.50 stars

This book was cute and a quick read, but the grammar felt off and the friend drama felt very kiddish, so I’d say this isn’t one of those middle grade books that can be enjoyed completely by all ages.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing little read that was full of cute moments but a lot of emotional ones??? I wasn't quite prepared for all the emotional moments that popped out of this one, but I actually really liked them. I really liked Georgie's moments in the real contemporary world where she had to deal with friendship struggles and making a new friend. Plus, the struggle with her grandfather was so heartwarming and breaking at the same time. I thought Adrian did a wonderful job with capturing Georgie's voice.

The biggest issue for me was the Nutcracker parts. They were so infrequent at first that I kind of forgot what we were doing with it. I wasn't captivated with those parts either, and I might have skimmed a bit through them until I got back to the contemporary world parts. I also never fully understood the why of the whole thing. Overall, 3 crowns and a Belle rating!

[Quenby Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my daughters (ages 8 and 6) and they were riveted, always asking for another chapter every night. I would've liked a less ambiguous ending, to find out where the characters from the Nutcracker went at the end of the story and also how the magic worked and more about how everything was passed down through the Drosselmeyer family. But the prose was smooth and easy to read, the pacing well-done, and the emotion surrounding an ill family member felt very real. So a 3.5 from me and nearly a 5 from my daughters, settling out to a bit over a 4 between the three of us. :)

[Kate Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely enchanting - an instant classic I'll be reading every year at Christmas. I love how it blends the magical elements with a behind-the-scenes look at a ballet company and the universal middle school agonies of figuring out who you are and how you relate to your family and changing friendships.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It's slow going at first but then just takes away. It's really very sweet and adventurous. And so much of that adorable being a kid again and of that horror of being a kid. I really enjoyed it.

[Gwyneth Bare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very predictable. The story was entertaining, but kind of pointless.

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute story, but I’m surprised that we don’t find out what really happens at the end to the ballet’s characters. The magic portion of the book is not as developed as I expected.

[Sierra Reyelts · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if there was a parallel universe where the Nutcracker toys and mice were alive and connected to the Nutcracker ballet. Susan Adrian explores some fascinating Nutcracker lore going back to ETA Hoffman's original story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." I wish we were able to explore more of the parallel world. It was still a fun book. The Nutcracker ballet season vibes are fantastic 💜

[kunstlesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Süße Geschichte🥰

[Kate Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple yet sweet love letter to the magic that is The Nutcracker. 🤍

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and fun story

[Carla Marangon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a slight obsession for nutcrackers. So books like this tend to find their way to me. That's what happened with this book. I don't tend to read middle grade but around Christmas Idecided to give it a whirl. This was cute, had this been out when I was younger I would have loved it.

[Tiffany Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one about a girl named Georgie who gets the lead of Clara in the nutcracker ballet but it upsets her best friend, Kaitlyn, to actually give up ballet altogether. Meanwhile, Georgie discovers that when she dances with the Nutcracker doll, she is transported into another "realm" of sorts and in this realm, the Nutcracker asks her to help rescue him. Georgie turns to another friend, Noah, and confides in him what happens when she dances with the doll. He actually believes her and offers his help. Together, enter the alternate realm and rescue the Nutcracker. However, things go sideways when Noah disappears and Georgie has to enter the alternate realm to try and save her new friend while also trying to salvage her old friendship with Kaitlyn (without losing her position in the ballet). This is a super cute middle grade book and a fun one to read around the holidays for sure).

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really sentimental about this one okay? My grandmother took me to see the Nutcracker for Christmas for years, and I also have a soft spot for stories about ballet. It's a sweet middle grade book that's equal parts modern fantasy and real life drama of being an upcoming teen.

[Karina Noyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a normal girl with a dancing dream to a new, magical level. This book was amazing and gives me a whole new perspective when I preform in the Nutcracker.

[Mariposa Aristeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely & magical retelling of The Nutcracker with a fresh twist.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The design of this book, both the cover and chapter page art, enchanted me almost as much as if not more than the story itself. Georgie is in sixth grade and her goal since her first time at the ballet with her grandfather has been to dance the part of Clara in the Nutcracker ballet. The book opens with auditions. It’s down to three young girls, Georgie and her best friend Kaitlyn, and another young dancer named Ally. There’s only room for two young Clara’s to share the role, alternating performances.
During Georgie’s audition she dances with an authentic, heirloom Nutcracker from Prussia and she’s transported from the studio to the larger than life Christmas Eve scene, complete with oversized presents, a tree, giant mice and the Nutcracker. But something’s desperately wrong, and the Nutcracker is trapped, frozen in glass.
The writing is good, however there was a lot of plot exposition and a lot of telling rather than showing. That said, the scenes where Georgie magically travels to the world of the Nutcracker had me holding my breath without even realizing it! And the history provided about the original version of the Nutcracker definitely have inspired me to track down the source material to read it for next Christmas. In the meantime, this little story provided an enjoyable and magical way to spend an evening during the holidays.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute little story for a younger audience. It has magic and mystery and it's wholesome which is what I wanted in a Christmas story.

However, I felt enraged by Kaitlyn - probably the memories of being 12 once. And perhaps that is the point. They really did act like 12 yr olds, but the parents felt like enablers of immaturity. I think this is so much deeper than the book is meant for but it really stuck out to me.

The pacing was too quick for me. Sometimes she drops bombshells but there's no time to process it.

I feel like Noah going missing was over the top. That's like trauma inducing level scary that felt a little out of place. Tell me what 12 yr old wouldn't tell they're parents? It felt like a plot device to increase the stakes and an after thought. The whole time she foreshadows dropping the Nutcracker, and you keep asking what would happen if he broke? Then when it happens it does literally nothing. It's so anticlimactic. His arm gets stiff.

It felt like the Grandpa had rushed closure. He's her inspiration, she cries at his bedside, she misses him and then when he wakes she doesn't even go see him.

I liked how her life emulated the prophecy. I liked that in the end she wasn't punished because life is like that sometimes! Sometimes you get away with the lie.

Overall I liked this story. There are so many loose ends that could have made this story great instead of good but for what it is, a story for kids, it's good. I think 12 year old me would have loved this.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this one aloud to my daughter. The story is short and the pacing is very good. The characters are all three dimensional and completely believable. There is a current of mystery and tension that keeps things moving along. Author Susan Adrian is particularly good at realistic dialog and familiar family and school settings.

It's not a perfect book. The mysterious magical realm was fairly sterile and lifeless compared to the real world settings. To be fair, there are reasons for that, but I felt it was a failing. Also, some of the character interactions felt a little forced - one major one in particular - which I felt needed a bit more explanation and/or resolution.

For what it's worth, my daughter is six and I think she may have found parts of this to be a bit scary for a bedtime story. But she never asked for us to stop reading, so it apparently never became too intense for her (the way Harry Potter was getting by Book 3).

[Cristiana Marques · Rating 3 out of 5]

NUTCRACKED: ⭐⭐⭐

A big thanks to my bestie Sarah for gifting me this book for Christmas.

A big, fuzzy and warm hug of a book. Georgie and Kaitlyn are best friends and they both want to play Clara in the infamous Nutcracker ballet. Their professor is very rigorous and won't choose just any dancer to play. When one is chosen and the other is not, Nutcracker comes into the scene and the magic Georgie feels dancing, takes a more real tone when she holds the toy in her hands.

Absolutely wondrous, the perfect read to begin the year with. Since it's middle grade, I didn't feel as connected to the writing but my inner child soared and the moments of magic in the book made my heart warm. A little plot twist, which was predictable but told in a very cute way. This whole book is like hugging a teddy bear. Absolutely wonderful and so, so cute!

[Jody Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting tale of a young girl dancing the part of Clara in her ballet school's Nutcracker production. It includes a mystical component which could be confusing to a young reader, if they are not familiar with the story of the Nutcracker ballet. It a story written for young readers so that might explain why I did not enjoy it very much. I am eager to see what my granddaughters think of it.

[Michele The Bookish Tea Room · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute book to read with my daughter. We each had a copy and read a couple chapters every day at the same time together. It has a promising premise — the nutcracker is actually real and certain people who touch him get transported to the magical world of The Nutcracker ballet — but it was just okay. It was fun, but not super exciting or anything.

[Lauren Millard · Rating 3 out of 5]

We ended up enjoying this read aloud. My intention was to read it during our Christmas break but the story really dragged. But in the second half picked up and it was a nice, exciting story! My kids ended up really enjoying it.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much potential, but this book fell short.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute. I loved this take on The Nutcracker. This is middle grade but I think some of the situations read like YA. I cried sad tears and happy tears. Amazing!

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet Nutcracker story. Definitely one I could see myself re-reading. 🥰