Another old friend. :)

Drina is admitted to the prestigious Dominick school for Ballet, in Red Lion Square, London, and even wins a small part in a Broadway play that calls for a talented, petite dancer.

While the first book obviously hooked me on the series, I think this was the one that made me realize how much I was going to adore it. So often, authors write a brilliant first story but then lose the quality going forward. The fact that this was just as strong as the first really gave me hope.

Probably the best part of this book for me was that the characters were more relaxed and free to be themselves. Everyone was so tense and unhappy during the first story, and while there are definitely moments of conflict here, on the whole, the characters are able to develop without a lot of road blocks. The moments I loved best were between Drina and her grandmother. With Drina's dancing and the secret of her mother out in the open, neither have anything to hide from one another, and their relationship really blossoms without becoming cloying or over the top. Drina's friendships also develop nicely, with her best friend, Jenny, and her fellow ballerina-in-training, Rose, as well as adults like former dancer Adele. Honestly, looking back, I think this is part of what makes the series as a whole so interesting. Every single character we meet, even if only for a brief time, is given a strong and unique personality. No one is wasted. I found myself even bonding with the director and headmistress of her school, and they don't actually do much yet.

While some of this is no doubt still nostalgia kicking in - because it IS just a brief children's book - I'm still finding myself sucked back into a world I adored as a little girl, and I'm loving it.

I loved this series when I was younger, and when I had the chance to get some of these books through bookcrossing, I couldn't resist.

I loved the Drina books growing up, and upon reading the first two as an adult, I still love them!

hachja, kindheits-nostagie

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR COMFORT BOOKS?

IL THOSE BOOKS SO MUCH, MEMER. SO MUCH. I AM COMPLETELY SHAMELESS ABOUT MY LOVE FOR THEM.

Drina's wish is about to come true — the chance to attend the Dominick School, if only she can pass the audition. Which, of course, she does. But she still faces challenges, but with her own dancing, and with her classmates. How she faces up to these challenges and perseveres makes a delightful story.

i love this book!

Drina and Rose's first year at the Dominick. Absolutely lovely, one of my favourites of the whole series :)