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Satin Slippers #1
To Be a Dancer
Leah has the chance to join the San Francisco Ballet Academy, but first come nerve-wracking auditions. In the company are Alexandra, the daughter of Russian dancers who have defected; bubbly Kay; deceitful, beautiful Pamela; limber Linda; and Madame Preston. Leah is the most gifted dancer of the group, but she has trouble believing it and almost lets petty jealousies thwart her.
154 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 12, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 20, 2010
I haven't read this book since I was about ten or eleven, but oh man did I LOVE this series. I was kinda obsessed with it for awhile. I suspect that they might not hold up as well as I remember, and I was always disappointed that there wasn't a little more happy romance in the bunch, but geez, did these appeal to me. I mean ballerinas? Boarding School? Best friends? A kitten? Occasional cute boys? What more could a preteen ask for? Oh, right, how about some modeling (not just photography, sometimes for an artist as well) and acting?
Seriously. Best series ever in my preteen head. Loved it way more than the Babysitters Club.
Seriously. Best series ever in my preteen head. Loved it way more than the Babysitters Club.
November 1, 2022
Your typical YA fiction book about a girl hoping to become a ballerina. This first book in the Satin Slippers series follows 15-year-old Leah Stephenson as she auditions for the prestigious San Francisco Ballet Academy. Along the way (as with most books of this sort), Leah learns about herself as a dancer and as a person, as well as about others and their true characters. Can Leah persevere through her own doubts and others' attempts at mind games to be accepted as a new student at the Academy?
A good read for late-elementary to early-high school readers who enjoy books about ballet and teen ballet dreams; for older readers, it's a light, quick, entertaining read.
A good read for late-elementary to early-high school readers who enjoy books about ballet and teen ballet dreams; for older readers, it's a light, quick, entertaining read.
August 9, 2009
I read this series in high school and actually loved it. I would like to re-read it, but cannot find it anywhere! (My mom sold all my series at a yard sale when I didn't think I wanted them!) It is great for youth who love ballet. Leah is a character you can identify with!
October 21, 2012
I could remember all of the details of this book - all except the important ones like author and title which would help me find it again! I finally managed it though and now I remember how much I loved it.
August 10, 2014
Taking a trip back into my childhood. Nice quick read. Still holds up as a bridge book from childhood to YA.
May 29, 2020
Despite the dated events and technology, this still holds true for the highly strung world of dance. Well constructed, and a likeable, if almost flawless, protagonist almost ruins the believability of the world, but is rescued by her low self esteem.
October 24, 2018
So much nostalgia attached to this book!
Read
May 10, 2025Why isn’t this series better remembered? I really enjoyed it
Read
March 11, 2021A true childhood favourite.
June 25, 2024
I loved this series as a child, and it's been fun to go back and reread it. It's a bit outdated in some ways now, but it's an interesting insight into the ballet world. It's a clean series, which is nice.
March 2, 2024
Just for my own records. While I rated this book on Goodreads way back in Sept 2010 it is now February 2024 and I'm finally getting around to writing up a review for this.
First, let's get that cover model out of the way. I mean, Leah Stephenson, the main character in this 12 book series, is supposed to be fifteen-years-old. Does that cover model look fifteen to you?
No.
More like eighteen going on twenty.
Okay, moving on...
As Chapter 1 begins, narration tells us that Leah Stephenson is fighting back tears. Get used to it. She cries, like, ALL THE TIME throughout this entire series and today’s ballet class at the Hannah Greene School in San Lorenzo, California is no different. Leah's teacher wants to see Leah in her office after class today, not to tell her she’s the worst dancer she’s ever seen and to go find another series to haunt, but that scouts from a prestigious ballet academy in San Francisco for promising young dancers like Leah just happened to be in attendance at the last recital. Auditions are being held for the upcoming fall semester and Leah's teacher thinks she has a good chance of getting in.
Next thing Leah knows, she is off to the big city along with all the teenage angst that comes from such new experiences as making new friends, doubting her own talent for dance, and finding the courage to believe in herself. Competition in the dance world is fierce and the reader gets to come along for the ride. Can the SFBA student, Alexandra called Alex born in Russia, be trusted as a new friend? And what about glamorous hopeful Pam from Georgia with her athletic body and sultry southern accent? How can Leah possibly compete with such a talented dancer? Leah isn't sure what to make of it all. Just let her be accepted into this wonderful school because for Leah, all she has ever wanted was to be a professional dancer when she grows up.
Some parts are very dated-Leah has to borrow VHS tapes from the school library in order to study the variation she plans to use for her audition piece, no smart phone or YouTube. The horror! Dancers wear terry cloth headbands and leg warmers (Ah, the sports fashions of 1987) and use cassette players in absence of live piano accompaniment. Will Leah pass the tests and get into the school of her dreams? (Well there ARE eleven more books after this one, so...)
As a ballet fan, I'd forgotten just how much I loved this series as a teenager. There's a helpful two page glossary of ballet terms in the back of this short 13 chapter, 146 page paperback as well. If you love ballet, love reading about ballet and need a cozy, fun read to unwind with then the Satin Slippers Series is for you. Unfortunately these books are all out of print now and no longer available at local libraries which is where I found them over thirty years ago. If you don't want to spend the money to buy them yourself then you will be glad to know I have taken the liberty to summarize these books, starting with this one here https://satinslippersfan.blogspot.com/
First, let's get that cover model out of the way. I mean, Leah Stephenson, the main character in this 12 book series, is supposed to be fifteen-years-old. Does that cover model look fifteen to you?
No.
More like eighteen going on twenty.
Okay, moving on...
As Chapter 1 begins, narration tells us that Leah Stephenson is fighting back tears. Get used to it. She cries, like, ALL THE TIME throughout this entire series and today’s ballet class at the Hannah Greene School in San Lorenzo, California is no different. Leah's teacher wants to see Leah in her office after class today, not to tell her she’s the worst dancer she’s ever seen and to go find another series to haunt, but that scouts from a prestigious ballet academy in San Francisco for promising young dancers like Leah just happened to be in attendance at the last recital. Auditions are being held for the upcoming fall semester and Leah's teacher thinks she has a good chance of getting in.
Next thing Leah knows, she is off to the big city along with all the teenage angst that comes from such new experiences as making new friends, doubting her own talent for dance, and finding the courage to believe in herself. Competition in the dance world is fierce and the reader gets to come along for the ride. Can the SFBA student, Alexandra called Alex born in Russia, be trusted as a new friend? And what about glamorous hopeful Pam from Georgia with her athletic body and sultry southern accent? How can Leah possibly compete with such a talented dancer? Leah isn't sure what to make of it all. Just let her be accepted into this wonderful school because for Leah, all she has ever wanted was to be a professional dancer when she grows up.
Some parts are very dated-Leah has to borrow VHS tapes from the school library in order to study the variation she plans to use for her audition piece, no smart phone or YouTube. The horror! Dancers wear terry cloth headbands and leg warmers (Ah, the sports fashions of 1987) and use cassette players in absence of live piano accompaniment. Will Leah pass the tests and get into the school of her dreams? (Well there ARE eleven more books after this one, so...)
As a ballet fan, I'd forgotten just how much I loved this series as a teenager. There's a helpful two page glossary of ballet terms in the back of this short 13 chapter, 146 page paperback as well. If you love ballet, love reading about ballet and need a cozy, fun read to unwind with then the Satin Slippers Series is for you. Unfortunately these books are all out of print now and no longer available at local libraries which is where I found them over thirty years ago. If you don't want to spend the money to buy them yourself then you will be glad to know I have taken the liberty to summarize these books, starting with this one here https://satinslippersfan.blogspot.com/
August 3, 2010
I loved these books when I was little... made me want to be a ballerina.
June 15, 2012
I read this series as child and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to any young dancers or fans of dance.
September 1, 2015
These were my absolute favorite books as a kid, and I never read the last two. For my birthday, I got the entire set. Cannot stop smiling.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews