In an absorbing and eye-opening novel about two motherless sisters, Porter (Treasures in the Dust), who has first-hand experience with the rigors of ballet, candidly exposes the nightmarish elements behind a girl's dream of becoming a classical dancer. Delia, 13, and her older sister, Pearl, struggle with the void left by their mother's death years earlier. Pearl, with a longer memory than Delia's and more able to acknowledge her grief than their always-busy father, dabbles in witchcraft and gets sent to boarding school after she is expelled from her private day school. Delia, meanwhile, gravitates to the highly respected Elanova School of Dance. At first glance the characters seem like predictable stereotypes: cold-hearted Madame Elanova barks her commands with a thick Russian accent ("You must vork! Vork!"); the anorexics are rewarded for their discipline; the teacher's pets guard their positions; students back-bite their way to the top. But the interactions of these characters are complex and full of psychological drama, with individuals' motives perceptively laid out. Delia changes clearly and authentically, her development shored up with realistic details and believable insights. Pearl evolves equally credibly offstage, her voice emerging through letters to Delia and through an occasional visit home. The ballet story lines converge elegantly and poignantly with Pearl's and Delia's different experiences of bereavement and loss. Readers will be sorry to see this novel end. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
