Born to Dance

Dance Trilogy #1

by Jean Ure

The first in a brand-new series about dancing, friendship and following your dreams from best-loved author Jean Ure, whose books are described by Jacqueline Wilson as “funny, funky, feisty – and fantastic reads!”

When new girl Caitlyn arrives at Coombe House School Maddy is sure she must be a fellow ballet dancer; she certainly has all the grace and poise of a ballerina. So when Caitlyn denies it, Maddy isn’t convinced. But it isn’t until she comes across Caitlyn practising ballet in the gym that she realises there must be more to her story… Just what can it be? Maddy is determined to find out!

Genres: Childrens, Young Adult

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2017

About the author

Prolific English children and young adult author.

Had her first book published while still in high school, then studied theater at Webber-Douglas in London. Her most well-known work is the Point Crime novel Dance with Death. Others include Plague 99, After the Plague (previously "Come Lucky April"), Big Tom, Family Fan Club and Shrinking Violet, as well as the fantasy The Wizard In the Woods.

Today, Ure is very popular with British female teenage readers with novels such as Shrinking Violet, Family Fan Club and Passion Flower.

Ure has also translated Danish writer Sven Hassel's WWII novels to English.

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I love how realistic parts of this are—that Maddy is kind of headstrong and blunt and she tries to rein herself in but can't always; that she enjoys ballet but also wants to try other things; that Caitlyn has natural talent, but she isn't immediate the Best Dancer Anyone's Ever Seen...and that the big performance is a school play where most of the audience won't be in a position to evaluate it critically. I would have liked to see a bit more with Maddy's existing friends (they kind of get shoved off to the side and then are only ever cranky because Maddy isn't paying attention to them, so they end up coming off as mean girls), but definitely a fun read.

[Millie Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was good I am reading the next one

[Elayna Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s was very good, great for younger reader 9-11 yrs. Just got a little bit boring in the middle of the book. I loved how the book was set up.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my daughters and we all enjoyed it. It’s a light-hearted book about friendship and dancing. I disliked the constant references to ‘pudding faced’ girls though. This made me drop a star.

[Leprecat O'Kin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is completely self-plagiarism! Jean Ure, the author, wrote a trilogy of books called "Dancing Dreams" in the 90s with three books about two best friends who were training to be professional ballet dancers. The three books were called Star Turn, A Dream Come True and Fandango!, and the storyline of the first book was absolutely identical to this book. The only things that have been changed are some modernizing of the dialogue (and mentions of texting, cell phones, etc.) and the names of the characters.

Everything else is exactly the same - Maddy, the narrator, is the daughter of a famous former ballerina and a renowned ballet choreographer. Her older sister, who is pregnant, was on her way to becoming a star dancer and her mother is disappointed that she "ruined her career" by deciding to get married and have a child. The older brother is a charmer who is the mother's favourite and is also on his way to massive stardom in the city's biggest ballet company. Maddy sees a new girl, Caitlyn, at school and assumes, from they way she moves and carries herself, that she is a fellow dancer, but Caitlyn denies studying ballet. The rest of the book is about Maddy trying to get her always-distracted mother to pay attention to Caitlyn's obvious talent so she can give her a scholarship to begin proper ballet training, since she has been teaching herself due to the fact that her mother is a single parent who is always worrying about money and cannot afford to pay for lessons. This was exactly the same storyline as Jessamy and Karen in Star Turn, the first book of the "Dancing Dreams" trilogy.

I have read the synopsis of the as-yet unreleased second book in this "Dance Trilogy", and again, it is exactly the same storyline as the second book in the "Dancing Dreams" trilogy. I don't really understand why an author would do this. Why not just republish the original trilogy if she wanted to gain a new audience for now out-of-print novels?

[Tanaya Bhate · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.75/5 stars)

Review of Born to Dance by Jane Ure 🩰

Born to Dance by Jane Ure is a touching yet slightly uneven story about passion, perseverance, and the cost of chasing perfection. It has moments of beauty and depth that truly capture the spirit of dance, but overall, it didn’t quite reach the emotional impact I was hoping for.

The book follows a young dancer determined to make her dreams come true in the demanding world of ballet. Jane Ure paints the world of dance with sensitivity and precision — from the tension of auditions to the quiet exhaustion after rehearsals. You can tell she understands the discipline and artistry behind it all. Those dance scenes are honestly the highlight of the book — detailed, elegant, and filled with emotion.

However, while the theme is strong, the storytelling occasionally loses its balance. The pacing in the middle felt slow, and some of the conflicts that could have been deeply emotional were resolved too quickly or without enough buildup. I also wished for more development in the side characters — they had potential but never really felt fully alive.

The main character’s journey is inspiring, and I loved her determination and vulnerability, but at times she came across as a bit predictable. I wanted to see more of her internal struggle — not just her ambition, but also her fear, her doubt, and the cost of her choices.

Still, there’s something very genuine about Born to Dance. Jane Ure’s writing has a softness and warmth that make the story feel comforting, even when it doesn’t completely deliver on its emotional promise.

🩰 Final Thoughts:
Born to Dance is graceful in spirit but stumbles in execution — a heartfelt, sincere story that shines brightest when it lets the dance speak for itself.

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went in to my local Oxfam book shop at the weekend and picked up a few books including this trilogy. I loved reading Jean Ure when I was in my teens and need something easy to read as it is that crazy time of term with exams and concerts.

Maddy O'Brien comes from a ballet royalty and is also very talented but one day a new girl Caitlin joins her school. Maddy notices that Caitlin does ballet but Caitlin is cagey about it and has a secret of her own,

I raced through this as a couple of students forgot their lessons. I have always loved ballet books since reading Ballet Shoes as a child. Jean Ure did a pretty good job with this one. She went in to enough detail about the craft and music and I loved how she talked about how different parts suit different dancers. The characters were well portrayed and I love how Maddy realises she can be a bit blunt and thought she contrasted well with the more introverted Caitlin.

An enjoyable modern Ballet story. I will certainly be starting the next one soon.

[Poppy Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is an incredible,amazing and such an honour to of been able to read this book. I'm so pleased that I got hold of it it is truly a piece of art and such an outstanding vocabulary all the way through. Jean Ure you really have outdone urself this time. Really well done. I truly recommend this to anyone who feel they were granted the power of being BORN TO DANCE . Caitlin feels there is more to her life but just what could it be? How about read it and find out?
Poppy c
Age 11
Y6

[Eliza Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reallyyyy loved this book it was really kind and warm hearted , I read it in a week and I'm struggling to find the next book to read📚.
would totally recommend, great for dancers like me . I JUST LOVED IT!!🩷

[Joud {my gf's version}{mh hiatus} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Maddy the Ballerina because she helps her mum and she is nice to new people.

[Libraryliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I have always liked Jean Ure

[Dalal allwaibh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book brought me into smiles

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rlly good x