Title: Up to this Pointe
Author: Jennifer Longo
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 19 2016
Source: Netgalley
Have you ever wanted something so much that you did everything in your power to be able to get it? That you dedicated almost every waking moment to getting it?
I can't say that I personally have, but I am not a stranger to this idea.
Up to this Pointe is about Harper. Harper is a ballerina. She has been putting her all into it for the majority of her life. Her ultimate goal is to be able to join up with the San Francisco ballet company and become a professional ballerina.
She and her best friend have had it figured out. They know exactly what they have to do to get what they want and they will do everything in their power to get it.
This story is kind of told in two parts. Every other chapter you are with Harper in Antarctica. Then the chapters you aren't there, you are learning what happened to her that led her to go there. I thought that this was well done. The transitions between the two parts felt very smooth and they did not disrupt the flow of the story.
I also felt that Harper love for the ballet was beautifully done. I could feel her love and her attachment to it. While I read through Up to this Pointe I kept picturing ballet dancers in my minds eye. It almost made me want to get up and put on some pointe shoes (don't worry I didn't...I do not have the feet for them!). I also appreciated how Jennifer Longo didn't make a huge deal out of some issues that dancers seem to face (yay for avoiding stereotyping!). She does skirt around them though. Could she have gone a little deeper? Probably, but I really liked that she kept this story light (but with a lesson!).
Now, while I cannot say if Jennifer Longo managed to portray Antarctica accurately, I am from the Bay Area myself and the other part of this story takes place in San Francisco. I think she did a great job with that location. It made me miss it. I wanted to go visit the city, take a walk on the busy sidewalks, and see if I could locate some of the locations that she was talking about.
Also, after reading this I would be surprised if Jennifer is not a huge Star Wars fan. Star Wars references are strong in this one.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading Up to this Pointe. It was a wonderful read. It has a fantastic lesson within it while still being a light and fluffy read.
My Rating
4.5 stars!
This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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