BALLET BESTIES

The spotlight is on Indu, but stage fright—and a few missteps—threaten to steal the show.

While Indu enjoys ballet class at the Shimmer and Shine studio with her ballet besties, the idea of performing onstage makes her queasy. She wonders if she really fits in, or if she might be better off sticking to something she’s really good at, like science. Indu feels even more left out when her class plans a field trip to see a professional production of Cinderella to inspire them for their own upcoming performance of the same ballet. Her friends are excited to go, but Indu’s mother is a nurse who works long hours, and they can’t afford the ticket. Indu is so desperate to belong that she engages in some dishonest behavior to join the field trip. With support from her friends, Indu comes clean, then hatches a plan to make Shimmer and Shine a more accessible place for kids to learn how to dance, no matter their financial situation. Aspiring ballet dancers will find plenty to love in this positive tale, even though its moralistic messages err on the side of preachiness. Sporadic black-and-white line illustrations complement the story’s lighthearted tone. Indu has Indian heritage, and the rest of the ballet besties are a diverse group.

A tender friendship story where honesty, courage, and a sense of belonging take center stage.