Ellie and the Bunheads

Ellie loves ballet, but perhaps not as much as her controlling mother loves it--or, more accurately, relishes the idea of her daughter becoming a ""real dancer."" Her mother assumes Ellie will audition for a slot in a student dance company, but Ellie isn't sure she wants the extra strain on her already crowded schedule. Trying to discern ""where what-she-wants stops and where what-I-want starts"" is among several challenges facing the sixth-grader heroine of Warner's plausible and perceptive novel. A friend of Case Hill and Ned Ryan (protagonists of Dog Years and Some Friend who play minor roles here), Ellie copes with insecurities about her body and her dancing talent, and with concern over her parents' strained marriage and her own relationships--delicately poised between competitive and supportive--with her fellow ""bunheads"" in ballet school. Though a bit repetitious, Ellie's verbal tug-of-war with her mother consistently rings true, as does the dialogue that gives this narrative its fleet pace. And while the ballet-school backdrop is a little formulaic in its presentation, it adds gloss to a clear-sighted portrayal of early adolescence. Ages 9-14. (May)