Billie's Big Audition (1)

by Kimberly Wyatt

The first in the World Elite Dance Academy series, a truly diverse dance series for girls and boys  12-year-old Billie has dreamed of being a ballet dancer for as long as she can remember—but things aren't easy for her and her mother, who struggle to make ends meet. Billie's dad died when she was little, and she dances to express her feelings. Now she has an audition at WEDA—a world-famous contemporary dance school run by the inspirational Miss Murphy, whose motto is "Never Say I Can't." But will Billie be able to get over her nerves and win a place at her dream school? And will she be able to live by the school's positive ethos, or will she crumble under the pressure? Join Billie and her new friends on a fierce, empowering and sometimes scary journey to dance stardom. 

224 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[17twiggl113 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great book. And is in a series of 3 books, these books have to be read in order otherwise you already know what happens and it will give the story away. This book is all about a girl called billie who lives with her mum and sometimes her uncle, her dad died when she was 8. Her mum works on multiple jobs to keep them living. But when billie gets the chance to audition for the large dance school weda.When billie gets in its like a huge dream come true. But billie doesn’t realise how hard and strict it is and gets into quite a bit of trouble with the bully casandra. This book is a good book and can be sad when billie has floods of memories of her dad. I would recommend around the ages pf 10-13 and for either gender.

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billie B and her mum have a dream board. Her mum wants her own house. Billie wants to be a ballet dancer and to train at WEDA - a world-famous contemporary dance school run by the inspirational Miss Murphy, whose motto is 'Never Say I Can't.

At the audition, she's so nervous and continues to doubt herself. When she succeeds in getting into the school, things are still tough, even though her mum works two jobs. Billie struggles to get all the gear she needs for classes.

She meets up with great friends who encourage her. Apart from her Mum and Uncle Charlie, no one else has ever known what drives her. Andre meets her first, he's cleaning, and that gives Billie an idea to be able to fund the extra gear. Tilly is kind, dyslexic, and loves street dancing. Andre starts a street dancing group. It's very different from the structured and choreographed ballet classes.

This book is easy to read because you do get into the characters. They are real and complex, diverse in their approach to being a ballet school. It helps that Andre is Miss Murphy the former prima ballerina who runs the school. Andre tells Miss Murphy about Billie's circumstances and they agree to loan her money to buy clothes for the lessons in exchange for cleaning after school.

The ending is satisfying and I can tell that it will lead to more adventures for Billie.

[Judy Wollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billie loves dancing. Her life and her most important audition for a place at the World Elite Dance Academy is only weeks away. Her mother works two jobs to pay the rent and to give Billie all the dancewear and shoes she needs.
Life as a dancer at the World Elite Dance Academy is challenging, making friends and dancing with elite dancers. Billie has to find a solution to pay for even more dancewear she needs and to find her place at the academy. Everyone else seems so confident. Nasty comments made by other students and being reprimanded by dance tutors undermines Billie’s confidence. What does she do?
I enjoyed the realism of being a new dancer in an elite academy and the dilemmas the characters had to deal with.
Recommended for 8–12-year-old readers.