Princess Tutu: Volume 1

Ahiru loves ballet and dreams of dancing with a prince, but in real life, she's clumsy and doesn't have enough training under her belt to be a partner to Mytho, her school's golden boy. One day, Ahiru passes by a previously unnoticed shop and spies a gorgeous tutu in the window. Though she doesn't wind up purchasing the skirt, the store owner gives her a magical pendant, which turns Ahiru into Princess Tutu, a fairy-like ballerina. With these powers, she should be able to snag Mytho, although others warn her away from him, wanting to keep him subservient for their own purposes. Still, she perseveres, coming up against a more beautiful, better dancer. Unfortunately, although this is the kind of story little girls dream of, the book is rated 13+, probably due to the sexy shop owner's cleavage and the nude mystical transformation scenes (although they're handled chastely). That's a shame, because this Sailor Moon– as–ballerina story will seem a bit too familiar to older readers, who've likely seen all of these elements used elsewhere already, if not Shinonome's charming art. (Nov. 30)