On Pointe

by Lorie Ann Grover

Our feet slipinto satin shoes

with stiff shanks,

hard boxing,

tight elastic,

and slippery ribbons

that wrap and end

in hard knots.

The frayed edges

are crammed

out of sight.

We stand.

A row of bound feet

rises

to its toes.

For as long as she can remember, Clare and her family have had a dream: Someday Clare will be a dancer in City Ballet Company. For ten long years Clare has been taking ballet lessons, watching what she eats, giving up friends and a social life, and practicing until her feet bleed -- all for the sake of that dream. And now, with the audition for City Ballet Company right around the corner, the dream feels so close.

But what if the dream doesn't come true? The competition for the sixteen spots in the company is fierce, and many won't make it. Talent, dedication, body shape, size -- everything will influence the outcome. Clare's grandfather says she is already a great dancer, but does she really have what it takes to make it into the company? And if not, "then" what?

Told through passionate and affecting poems in Clare's own voice, "On Pointe" soars with emotion as it explores what it means to reach for a dream -- and the way that dreams can change as quickly and suddenly as do our lives.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Contemporary, Novel In Verse, Fiction, Teen, Summer

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2004

About the author

Lorie Ann Grover is an awarded YA novelist and board book author whose works include Kirkus Starred Review, Firstborn, and Parents Magazine Best Children's Book, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish. She co-founded readergirlz and readertotz. Living with her husband in the foothills of Mt. Rainier, she writes, practices weapons tai chi, and watches hawks take flight.

Reviews

[Zizeloni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A YA book about a teenager ballerina that tries to make it to the company. The pressures of this kind of life, the sacrifices. An in the end, how to deal with sickness in the family, which can put other things in perspective.
The book was nice, easy to read. I would like it to go a bit deeper, it was a bit "young" for me. But it would be a great book for a younger person.

[ʟᴜɴᴀʀ. ݁ ˖ ⏾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Pointe, Lorie Ann Grover
4.5/5

First things first: Toe shoes? TOE SHOES? Pleaseee no
Moving on…
At first I wasn’t a big fan of the verse writing style but I quickly realised that it does make sense and presents a lot of passages in a meaningful way someone would usually read like a regular paragraph.
It’s a very fun read and the writing is very relatable, realistic (even though you cannot generalise parts like the puking for example) and emotional.
Even after not making it into the company there are passages in which Clare keeps dancing and some of which hint that she might, at least, think about dance and the adult class which kind of gave me hope for her joining the adult class, she so much refuses to go to.
As someone who’s gone back to ballet after years off I was really happy to see her going back because her passion for ballet still shows throughout the story, even if it's conflicting at times.
At the same time she sees and learns that there’s so much more to life than just ballet which provides a lot of change in her life. And bonus points for Mabel because she is such a sweetheart!

[Berkley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just wasn't my favorite. I didn't like the way the ballerinas were portrayed, it was super depressing. you don't have to throw up after every meal to be skinny. if your taller than other dancers, its ok. you shouldn't have to fit into the dancer stereotype of being so skinny that you weigh less than a hundred pounds to dance. I liked the character growth in this story, but the overall stereotype that all dancers are brats who only care about how they look made me angry. also, not all dancers have eating disorders, and the fact that like every single one of them in this book did made me not super happy.

[Layla T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was okay. The only problem for me was that it didn't really talk a lot about her dancing. It was mostly talking about her grandpa and how she was caring for him from his stroke. But, I feel the author did this to show that throughout the book Clare found that she was a dancer whether or not she made it into City Ballet. So, overall the book is about someone finding her passion and getting through tough times with that passion and love at stand.

[Lizzy Seitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

For being written in "verse" it was more just weirdly structured paragraphs, not verse. Also Clare had some very bitchy streaks that I didn't love overall but the general story of coming to love yourself and what you love to do was good

[Amanda Thai · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.
As long as you love what you do, you will succeed.

On Pointe is about Clare. She lives in Washington and wants to be in the City Ballet. It is her family's dream. Problem is, she's tall and competing against the others in her class.

Though it had good morals, On Pointe was still boring. It is written in verse and some parts, like the parts where Clare is just at home doing normal things, could have been written in normal first person POV prose. Other parts, however, were lovely in verse and really got the moral across.

The big message of this book was the one I mentioned above: As long as you love what you do, you will succeed. Clare, at first, thinks that if you can't do ballet professionally, you are a failure. What she doesn't realize until the end is that you can dance for yourself. You don't have to dance to impress others or be part of a company. You can do it because you love it and you will still succeed in being a dancer, albeit not a professional one.

I am a dancer and one of the flaws in this book was the pointe shoes. I do quite a fair bit of pointe work for 4 years and I have NEVER gotten a blister. In this book, everyone in Clare's class has popped blisters and blood on their tights. I understand that it is probably a higher, harsher level of pointe than what I am used to but it would have been more realistic if the girls' feet conditions were more varied. For example, Clare could have had the blisters, but Willow could have perfect feet and Rosella could have just had a broken toenail.

It starts off with small paragraphs explaining the people in Clare's class. I originally thought that this book was going to be from all their POVs. I think I would have liked it better if we got to see what Willow, Dia and the others were thinking.

The book actually had me feeling quite depressed at the start. Ballet isn't always that harsh. Clare seemed like she didn't really like it, in my opinion. Also, unlike Audition, the verse didn't have much symbolism. In Audition, different ballet steps and positions helped tell Sara's story. In On Pointe they are used in class and that's about it.

I never worked out how old Clare was. It says on the jacket flap that On Pointe is aimed at ages 8-12 but I think it should be higher because it touches onto things like eating disorders and the need to be thin. It never actually, blatantly, goes against Rosella's puking. I found that odd.

Not as good as I'd hoped. Older readers might want to try Audition if they are looking for a different ballet verse novel. On Pointe was fairly disappointing and I really could not see which age group it would fit into. Also, I was quite bored aat some points. Good morals though.

[Kimberly Hirsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clare is a dancer.  She wants to join the City Ballet, but she's taller than most professional dancers.  Can she make it?  If she can't, what will she do?  On Pointe examines what happens when our dreams change.  Clare begins the summer auditioning for the City Ballet, living with her grandfather, and chatting with her friend Rosella, who says negative things about their peers that make Clare uncomfortable.  By the end of summer, Clare's perspective and priorities have undergone a dramatic shift.

Lorie Ann Grover's verse beautifully conveys the work, pain, and pride that come with being a dancer, as well as the self-consciousness and alienation we feel as our bodies change us from children to adults.  Clare learns that our passions don't have to be our professions.  This is a valuable lesson for anyone, but it is especially valuable for readers who are passionate about one art or another.

I would recommend On Pointe to fans of dance, poetry, or readers struggling to define themselves.

[Isabel Kabara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good book! It reminds me of my goals to be on Pointe (hopefully soon). I would recommend this book to any dancer. Also, I looked at the page behind the title page and saw that the book was written in free verse, which is really cool! The one thing I disliked about this book is that it practically judges dancers by saying, "oh they can't be tall or 'heavy'". Dancers come in all shapes and sizes and it shouldn't matter how you look. I think this book could have been equally as good without the judgmental element.

[Nicole Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I hate novels in verse, but this one seemed really natural, like you were hearing Clare's thoughts.

I was amazed by this book. It was beautiful and sad and true. I'm not sure if a non-dancer would get much out of it (and hey, I've got an audition looming in my future that made the book that much more meaningful) but as a dancer of seven years, I loved it.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel in verse that vividly describes the physical pain of being a ballet dancer.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Clare's dream of being a ballet dancer is chrushed, she realises that there's more to life than being the prima ballerina. Pretty good.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://pointextaken.wordpress.com/

[Makenna]

The book On Pointe by Lorie Ann Grover is about a young ballerina named Clare trying to make it into her city ballet company. Clare is currently living with her grandfather for the summer while taking ballet classes at the ballet conservatory in their small town. She takes 2 hours of ballet everyday training to audition for the City Ballet. When audition day arrives she auditions with her best foot forward and feels very good about it. But alas, she is left heartbroken because she doesn’t have a “dancer's body”. After her rejection from the City ballet she quits taking class and has to learn about a life without dance. The next couple months become very dark for Clare. Between family issues and a tragic accident with her grandfather Clare has to find a passion to fill the void she feels without ballet. Overall I really really enjoyed this book. Being a dancer myself I could relate a lot with this book and the raw moments that Clare feels once she loses a passion for the only thing she has ever known. On Pointe perfectly captures the physical and even more importantly the mental challenges that young dancers have to go through on a day to day basis. I highly recommend this easy read to any person that would enjoy a detailed look into a dancer's life.

[Megan Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for teens who are into ballet. Although the suggested age on the book flap is 8 to 12, I would say it’s more geared towards teenagers. This book does touch on eating disorders, so keep that in mind if you decide to read it. I think the end message is a good one. There is unfortunately a lot of pressure in the ballet world to look a certain way and to have a specific body type. This book shows that you should do something because it’s what you love to do. As long as you dance, you are a dancer.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars - I wanted to love this book so much, and I loved some parts...but right off the bat we are portraying ballet dancers having eating disorders. That turned me off. The relationship Clare had with her grandpa was dysfunctional, but worked itself out and I did love that quite a bit, but her mother...she was winey, rude, and has some serious issues that she needs to work out.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the overall message (i.e., you can pursue an activity simply because you enjoy it, not because you're going to turn it into a profession/be famous), but the writing was awkward and stilted, despite the "poetic" format.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Pointe is an easy and relatable story written in verse.
A good read for ballerinas and those who love ballet. Moving and thought provoking for anyone facing life challenges and changes, and learning to accept and find happiness in new stages of life.

[Elaiyna Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very realistic. Extremely actually. I can definitely relate to most of this. Great writing. Made me want to cry a few times because of how realistic this is.

[TheTimeyWimeyNerdfighter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now have a fear of being too tall for ballet

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written in verse.

[Sabryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of that style of writing in verse but as a fan of Ballet I give it a try. Nope didnt enjoy it!

[Rgw ・❥・ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this I did read it for school but it did resonate with me.

[Juana Harnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and as a 11 year dancer it was very relatable. I was a little sad at parts of the book but nothing too dramatic. A pretty good read.

[Aliza Gans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how it was written in verse. Very much an insight into the ballet environment and those who want to pursue it professionally.

[Isabel Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! I think it was a fabulous read, even if it wasn’t too much of a challenge. The writing was smooth- I loved the free verse style. It brought (I think) a lot more life and movement to the text, makes you picture it a different way.
I could truly connect to this book through my own experiences and that was a fantastic feeling. The character, Clare, finding that she can’t reach the par in the sport of her choice (in this case dancing) and stops after years of training. I did the same thing with my own sport, and the feeling of agonizing loss is perfectly portrayed.

"Our feet slip

into satin shoes

with stiff shanks,

hard boxing,

tight elastic,

and slippery ribbons

that wrap and end

in hard knots.

The frayed edges

are crammed

out of sight.

We stand.

A row of bound feet

rises

to its toes. "

This is the quote I've taken from the book. It shows the style of the writing (something that made the entire text worlds better for me) and also a taste of the emotion. Ballett and other activities like it are demanding of perfection- I think this describes that nicely. You're wrapping your feet into something agonizing and tucking away anything that could give the impression it's not simply beautiful and easy. I think that's very realistic and powerful as a reader to hear about- nothing sugarcoated or hidden behind fancy dresses and stage props.


I really loved the relationship aspect of the book- with her mother living the dream of becoming a dancer through her daughter, something I think is common for parents to do, and how Clare addresses the problem. Also her close relationship with her grandfather and the difficulties of health issues is written very nicely- and even sad things were engulfing and left you feeling exactly how the author intended.
This book covered all the bases of something I enjoy, the writing is lovely, the characters develop well through the text while you learn and grow with them, and the relationships are realistic and heartfelt. I think it was a great read, and something I would absolutely pick up again just to get the same feelings. I most definately reccomend it.

-Isabel

[KWinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, I don't mind novels in verse. This was one of my Teen Book Club's picks for May, and I was glad to read it. I liked Clare and Grandpa. Both go through major life changes and we get to see what happens, but most importantly, we get to hear what Clare thinks about what is happening. And that was where the prose really worked for me. I was confused on a few points (Clare's age, for example). I had pictured her being in her early teens, but a line about "in several years I will be a Spartan like my mother" (which refers to the high school) threw me. Was Clare much younger than I originally pictured her? And yet she travels through town and meets people for coffee? It would explain why she never drove....hmm. Anyway. I thought it was a glimpse (and that's it, a glimpse) into the world of kids preparing to enter a professional ballet company. The only real hint we have of what other characters are thinking is the beginning when each character gets a statement. The mother is a little hard to handle in this story (all the mothers, in fact). I worry that there is not enough about the ballet world that readers do not already know. Yes we know they purge. Yes we know it's competitive. And please, all of my ballet knowledge comes from VC Andrews and The Baby Sitters Club. But what is new is the idea that one should have a back up plan in the great chance that things do not work out the way the dancer wants them too (this would be true for ball players, singers, actors, etc) and that is NOT laid out in the book. So, I am rather disappointed there. Overall, not a bad read, but not THE ballet book readers have been waiting for.

[Ellie Katzfey]

I thought this book was really good. It was about a dancer, and since I'm a dancer I saw through her perspective. She took dance lessons in the summer while she lived with her grandfather cause her parents didn't live close enough to the conservatory where she took lessons. She was always the tallest in her class except for one of the boys, but she was still a really good dancer. She had a bulimic friend which she always told to not puke but whenever she did, she would get mad at her because her mom was the one telling her to puke. The main character was really nervous because she had to try out for City Ballet. She was so close to getting it, but Madame told her she was just too tall for the City Ballet and that she was kicking her out of the class, but she could still take adult classes if she wished. The main character just stopped dancing, until her grandfather had a stroke and lost his ability to talk and use anything on his right side. He had a nurse that came to his house and helped him learn how to do things without his right side then and that nurse sort of inspired the main character to get back into dancing. She eventually joined back up with the adult classes to continue with her passion for dancing.

[Katelyn]

I am about halfway done with On Pointe. It begins with a girl named Clare, who has been training all her life to be the city ballet. Dance it hard work and it takes a lot of dedictaion. Clare has moved away from home to live with her grandfather, who lives closer to the conservatory. Even though Ballet is mainly based of skill, whether or not dancer make it into higher ballet is also based on looks. Clare has watched her ballet class lose members as they grow and change. The city ballet wants all the dancers to look almost uniform, causing a lot of eager dancers to not make the cut. Clare keeps telling herself she will become a dancer when she makes it into city ballet, but her Grandfather is telling her that she already is a dancer. So on the day of the audition, Clare prepares herself and tris her hardest. When her ballet teacher pulls her aside Clare fears for the worst. This what madmame says "'Clare you are a fine dancer. You are aqualified to be a member of th City Ballet Comapny. But...You are to tall... I do not see potential in your work...I haveto remove you from the class."'(138) So Clare si kicked out of ballet because she is to tall. When Clare htinks her life can't get any worse, her Grandfather has a stroke and they have to re-learn life together.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clare has dreamed to be a professional ballerina for as long as she can remember. Now at sixteen years old, she has made it to the level where you can audition for the New York City Ballet, but there’s only one problem: Clare dances very well and all that, but when she finds out she cannot join the Ballet due to her height (being too tall), her dream gets crushed like ice. What will she do now, when her whole life has been aiming for making it into the Ballet? With help from her family, Clare gets through the troubles in her life and learns that she doesn’t have to dance for show; she could just dance for herself, because she loves to dance.
I chose to read this book because I was looking for a book about dance, and when I read the summary I was somewhat interested. I got more interested as I read more of the book.
I finished this story because I wanted to know what happens to her when she got kicked out of her class. That part really got me into the book, because I really wanted to know what she does in the end.
I would recommend this book to Lauren, because she likes dancing.

[Nicacbk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually a ballet dancer so I can relate to most of this stuff. We work really hard in class and we go through a lot of stress so we don't want it to be for nothing.

There are a lot of Bart stereotypes in this book. I'm telling you readers now. Dancers eat. I eat a lot and to read about girls puking out something like a protein bar. I felt disgusted because that doesn't happen in our ballet studio. Another thing that doesn't happen is that you get kicked out because your fat or too tall. No one is the same which is why we have so many body types in our ballet studio. Everyone in my ballet studio are friends. We all talk to each other and we hangout outside of ballet.

Why are all the moms in this book such b****es. Clare with her mom sharing Clare's dream. Like it's hers to share. Rosella and her mom forcing her to puke. That's just mean.

Elton would have to be my favorite character. He's the most realistic ballet dancer and he is so sweet to Clare

I would actually rate this a 3.4 because I could relate to the characters. I also love how it's a finding yourself story and I would recommend this to dancers, even if the text is in verse.