Forgotten book - YA ballet in the 70s/80s
May 12, 2019 8:07 PM Subscribe
I read a book (maybe a short series of books?) about a young girl living in NYC whose parents sign her up for ballet lessons even though she doesn't want to go. Her older sister is a star at the ballet school. Her older sister has a nemesis whose name, I think, is Meg. Meg chews gum, which the older sister does not, because she wants to maintain her "haughty jaw."
Other randomness: The girls' mother is a judge and their father is a lawyer, and there's an early scene in which the family is watching a baseball game and the mother is rooting for the offense in general, which gets pointed out as being very judge-like.
The older sister has a crush on one of the male dancers and I think there's rivalry there with the nemesis.
The sisters take the bus to their dance lessons.
It's set contemporaneously for the time it was written, so 70s/80s. It's not any of the "Shoe" books (e.g., "Ballet Shoes"). I read it before 1988, so it's not later than that.
Other randomness: The girls' mother is a judge and their father is a lawyer, and there's an early scene in which the family is watching a baseball game and the mother is rooting for the offense in general, which gets pointed out as being very judge-like.
The older sister has a crush on one of the male dancers and I think there's rivalry there with the nemesis.
The sisters take the bus to their dance lessons.
It's set contemporaneously for the time it was written, so 70s/80s. It's not any of the "Shoe" books (e.g., "Ballet Shoes"). I read it before 1988, so it's not later than that.
Response by poster: Now I just have to see if I can get it at the library.
posted by lazuli at 8:43 PM on May 12, 2019
posted by lazuli at 8:43 PM on May 12, 2019
Response by poster: And it's Meredith Meredith, not Meg. OK! Feeling oriented now.
posted by lazuli at 8:45 PM on May 12, 2019
posted by lazuli at 8:45 PM on May 12, 2019
Try WorldCat.
I vividly remember this and have a few times tried to discover if the author is also J.D. Landis, author of Lying in Bed and other works.
posted by Riverine at 5:53 PM on May 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
I vividly remember this and have a few times tried to discover if the author is also J.D. Landis, author of Lying in Bed and other works.
posted by Riverine at 5:53 PM on May 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I had forgotten about WorldCat! Unfortunately, I'd have to drive 60 miles to get the book from the library. I ended up ordering it on Amazon.
posted by lazuli at 7:22 PM on May 14, 2019
posted by lazuli at 7:22 PM on May 14, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Francolin at 8:24 PM on May 12, 2019 [6 favorites]