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79th out of 336 books
—
2,049 voters
Audition
by
Stasia Ward Kehoe (Goodreads Author)
When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprisi...more
Hardcover, 458 pages
Published
October 13th 2011
by Viking Juvenile
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(4.5 stars)
“Am I lonelier now
Than when my sad imagination
Had him disappear?
Heart torn,
Loosing tiny droplets
Of sorrow
No tape can measure
No needle can mend.”
I was ecstatic when I found out my library had a copy of Audition, as it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. The greatest surprise was my library having a copy four days after its release date!! I wasted no time in downloading my copy (yes my great library does free e-books!!) and getting stuck in straight away. Let me tell you...more
“Am I lonelier now
Than when my sad imagination
Had him disappear?
Heart torn,
Loosing tiny droplets
Of sorrow
No tape can measure
No needle can mend.”
I was ecstatic when I found out my library had a copy of Audition, as it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year. The greatest surprise was my library having a copy four days after its release date!! I wasted no time in downloading my copy (yes my great library does free e-books!!) and getting stuck in straight away. Let me tell you...more
14 likes · like · see review
view all 11 comments
It’s offical. I love books written in free verse. I love how these books play with form and how the sparseness can sometimes hit me harder than prose. Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe is awesome, plus it’s nice to read a free verse book that’s not about the dangerous world of drugs.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
A beautifully told novel in verse from debut author, Stasia Ward Kehoe.
I love reading novels in verse. The gift of some authors to be able to tell an emotionally powerful story with just a few words. It blows my mind!
Although I wasn’t familiar with some of the literature pertaining to the specifics of ballet, I never felt lost, I just simply imagined the graceful moves that I’ve seen ballerinas preform several times.
Sara, at the age of sixteen, is a child in many ways when she arrives in the...more
I love reading novels in verse. The gift of some authors to be able to tell an emotionally powerful story with just a few words. It blows my mind!
Although I wasn’t familiar with some of the literature pertaining to the specifics of ballet, I never felt lost, I just simply imagined the graceful moves that I’ve seen ballerinas preform several times.
Sara, at the age of sixteen, is a child in many ways when she arrives in the...more
2 likes · like · see review
Sara is a teenage ballerina that recently moved to New Jersey so she can attend a prestigious dance school. Sara doesn’t have her family with her in New Jersey, and the closest family she has is her host family. In her host family, her host father is one of the dance teachers in her new school, and his son is a talented musician, and all the girls have a crush on him. Sara can’t really seem to fit in with these new people. While she is in school, she doesn’t have anybody she is extremely close t...more
Cover:
This cover, is the whole entire story, within just this one picture. It has the younger girl, who wants to always improve herself as a ballerina, the older boy who wants to become a dance choreographer, and the interest they have in one another. If I had to design a cover for Audition, it would look exactly like this, I wouldn't change one thing about it.
Overall Thoughts:
When picking up Audition at my local library, I didn't know it was written in verse until I finally got home, and crac...more
This cover, is the whole entire story, within just this one picture. It has the younger girl, who wants to always improve herself as a ballerina, the older boy who wants to become a dance choreographer, and the interest they have in one another. If I had to design a cover for Audition, it would look exactly like this, I wouldn't change one thing about it.
Overall Thoughts:
When picking up Audition at my local library, I didn't know it was written in verse until I finally got home, and crac...more
I really loved parts of this book. Some things were just so beautiful and brilliant, but some left me a little disappointed and unsatisfied.
The writing was what stood out to me the most as it was written in first person present tense, giving it that beautiful poetic feel. This book was also written in verse adding to the whimsical nature of the writing style.
It seemed like the words were cut down to the most basic and simplistic form. To explain with just a few words a whole scene and achiev...more
The writing was what stood out to me the most as it was written in first person present tense, giving it that beautiful poetic feel. This book was also written in verse adding to the whimsical nature of the writing style.
It seemed like the words were cut down to the most basic and simplistic form. To explain with just a few words a whole scene and achiev...more
Summary: Sara wins a coveted scholarship to a moderately impressive dance school in NJ. She must leave behind her friends and family her junior year of high school to follow her dream.
Why I Read This Book: I'm not sure. I think that I was having dinner one night before a presentation and wanted to read something, so I browsed through the available YA eBooks and choose this one because I love ballerinas (and gymnasts and ice skaters).
Review: It was a fairly mediocre book. It was interesting becau...more
Why I Read This Book: I'm not sure. I think that I was having dinner one night before a presentation and wanted to read something, so I browsed through the available YA eBooks and choose this one because I love ballerinas (and gymnasts and ice skaters).
Review: It was a fairly mediocre book. It was interesting becau...more
Sixteen year old Sara has spent her life preparing to be a dancer. So when she wins a scholarship to a ballet school, it seems like her dreams are right on track. And then there's Remington, the gorgeous dancer in his twenties. Caught up in an affair where she's part girlfriend, part muse - but never a ballerina - Sara begins to stumble. Working out her confusion in her school writing assignments, Sara discovers a new talent, and begins to realize that there just may be another, better dream wa...more
Not for younger secondary readers. A beautifully written verse novel.
1 like · like · see review
At sixteen, Sara is living many ballerinas’ dreams. She has been given a scholarship to study at a prestigious dance academy in the big city. But following your dreams is harder than it seems . . . Sara is in constant competition with her dance peers. Training is a gruelling affair and the weight of success rests heavy on her shoulders – when she thinks of all those who are so sure she will excel.
The more Sara dances, the more she wonders if she even enjoys going through the motions any more.
But...more
The more Sara dances, the more she wonders if she even enjoys going through the motions any more.
But...more
Oct 30, 2011
Melanie Goodman
added it
After a terrifying audition, Sara wins a scholarship to the Jersey Ballet for a year. Though it’s not the most prestigious of the ballet schools, it’s certainly a step up for a dancer from a tiny school in Vermont. Sara moves away from her family and friends to live with one of the school’s teachers, attend a private high school, and then attend grueling hours of dance classes, tours, and performances.
The dance world is extremely competitive. Sara is filled with self doubt, unsure whether her sm...more
The dance world is extremely competitive. Sara is filled with self doubt, unsure whether her sm...more
I don't read a lot of novels in verse, nor do I read a lot about dance. The former is more because I don't really know how to sift through the good stuff and the bad stuff, the latter because dance (especially ballet) kind of freaks me out--the body obsessive, intense grind of it is extremely disturbing to me. However, despite my reluctance with both of these elements, Audition was a fantastic read.
Lots of interesting themes are tackled in this one:
-Fish out of water, rural girl in an urban, so...more
Lots of interesting themes are tackled in this one:
-Fish out of water, rural girl in an urban, so...more
Audition is Stasia Ward Kehoe's highly anticipated YA verse novel debut.
At sixteen years, Sara leaves her friends and family, moves away on a scholarship to a prestigious dance school. Sara feels lost amongst her peers, who too often are pitched against one another competitively to form true friendship. Dancing is a constant discipline in which dancers strive for perfection with their routines and in their bodies. It is not an easy burden to bear, and you can feel the shackles and tension in th...more
At sixteen years, Sara leaves her friends and family, moves away on a scholarship to a prestigious dance school. Sara feels lost amongst her peers, who too often are pitched against one another competitively to form true friendship. Dancing is a constant discipline in which dancers strive for perfection with their routines and in their bodies. It is not an easy burden to bear, and you can feel the shackles and tension in th...more
12 likes · like · see review
No spoilers. I thought this might be the first novel in verse I've ever read but no, I think it's maybe the best one I've read. I was reluctant to read it because it was a novel in verse. I started reading it because I bought it for my 13 yo ballet dancing daughter, so I wanted to preview it. She'll have to wait a couple years to read though.
It's a wonderful story of just growing up and trying to find out what you really want and how that changes. Sara has earned a ballet scholarship and you're...more
It's a wonderful story of just growing up and trying to find out what you really want and how that changes. Sara has earned a ballet scholarship and you're...more
This book was just okay for me. It was actually quite sad. The main character, Sara, seemed to not know what she wanted, but did what others like her parents wanted. She wants to be a ballerina, and auditions and gets into a program on scholarship for her junior year. Through the hardships of being a ballerina, she struggles with how she feels about her life. Dancing, school, writing, friends.
Then there is Remington. She gets a crush on him right away. And one day he invites her to the diner, k...more
Then there is Remington. She gets a crush on him right away. And one day he invites her to the diner, k...more
1 like · like · see review
This is the second book in my entire history of reading that was written in free verse, unless you count actual books of poetry - which I don't. For one, the books of poetry were always for school and absolutely bored me to death.. not like this book at all. Something else that has absolutely bored me to death all of my life is dance.. which is not like this book at all. If you know me in real life, then you're probably cracking up at my last statement of hate toward dance.. considering my husba...more
I love verse novels! I never thought I would like them because I thought they would be like hard to understand poetry, but they are so not! This novel, like other verse novels, was like reading a song. It flows effortlessly along, and before you know it, its over. The author chooses powerful words, because there are so few words used.
The fact that Audition was a verse novel made me like the book. I did, however, have a few issues with the characters. Sara was the main character, and I just didn’...more
The fact that Audition was a verse novel made me like the book. I did, however, have a few issues with the characters. Sara was the main character, and I just didn’...more
“Dare I tell them that since I came here to dance
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe I think With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul”
Ho deciso di leggere “Audition” dopo essermi innamorata della copertina, period. Mi capita spessissimo, il problema è che non sempre poi il libro è all’altezza dei miei gusti.
Sara ci racconta il suo junior year investito nella Jersey Ballet school dopo essere partita dal Verm...more
I have been giving pieces of my body away
To ridiculous diets,
To repeated injuries,
To Remington?
And that maybe I think With each bit of my body
I lose a little piece of my soul”
Ho deciso di leggere “Audition” dopo essermi innamorata della copertina, period. Mi capita spessissimo, il problema è che non sempre poi il libro è all’altezza dei miei gusti.
Sara ci racconta il suo junior year investito nella Jersey Ballet school dopo essere partita dal Verm...more
Och, toto bolo krásne. Je to kniha vo veršoch, a rozpráva o dievčati, ktoré odíde na tanečné konzervatórium ďaleko od domova, o jej smútku za rodinou, o porovnávaní sa s ostatnými tanečnicami, o pocitoch pri tancovaní, a o láske ku jednému z inštruktorov, ktorá dostane nečakaný nádych.
...a páčilo sa mi, ako to bolo napísané. Nič viac sa asi o veršovanej knihe povedať nedá :) Niektoré pasáže sú naozaj precítené, autorkin štýl je veľmi jednoduchý, ale pritom zaujímavý, a mňa to bavilo :) Ak autork...more
...a páčilo sa mi, ako to bolo napísané. Nič viac sa asi o veršovanej knihe povedať nedá :) Niektoré pasáže sú naozaj precítené, autorkin štýl je veľmi jednoduchý, ale pritom zaujímavý, a mňa to bavilo :) Ak autork...more
First of all, I read this book in a day. And its not really a short book, either. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The entire novel is written in prose, not my typical thing. And for the record, I have no ballet experience. But after about 20 pages in, you don't even notice the prose anymore. And it makes the novel so beautiful, almost lyrical, like the dances they are doing in the studio.
I really related to Sara. Her biggest problem is her loneliness; also her inability to talk t...more
I really related to Sara. Her biggest problem is her loneliness; also her inability to talk t...more
As a former dancer, I love movies and books about dancers---I'll never dance again (long story) but it is nice to be back in the world of dance for that short period of time; it's good to read about/watch girls who struggled with the things I struggled with in the ballet world.
However, I wasn't a big fan of Audition. First of all, it was in verse, without actually being in verse, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you're going to write in verse, don't just write sentences and periodically hit...more
However, I wasn't a big fan of Audition. First of all, it was in verse, without actually being in verse, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you're going to write in verse, don't just write sentences and periodically hit...more
this was a very intersting book. u like most books it more tell in a verse form like a poem. it was a very easy read. I i really did like was the relation ship that she had with Rem...it seem the hole time that he was only using her to make is dance. She inspired him but i dont think that he should have taken so much of her and she should have given her self away so soon. Then again she was so longing to get to second base with a guy so that only seems more likely it would happen. The book start...more
This is a book about a girl named Sara who gets a lucky break and moves out of her small-town New England home to go on scholarship to Jersey Ballet school. Of course life is very different near New York City compared to home. There are loads of issues that Sara deals with or sees others struggle over: being away from home, communication, becoming sexually active, being used by the person she loves, eating disorders, making and keeping friends, hard curriculum in a new private school, being a te...more
I don't really enjoy books written in poetry format. It's difficult for me to fully understand everything that's going on and relationships don't seem nearly as well developed. I know that if this had been written in a normal book-ish way that I would have cried once everything started to fade with Remington. I also probably would have enjoyed Julio and pretty much every other character more. I also felt the book didn't have much of a resolution and left me wondering if Sara truly enjoyed dancin...more
All her life, Sara has wanted to be a dancer. When she wins a ballet scholarship her junior year, she’s ecstatic because finally she’s on her way to making her dreams come true. And then a dancer/choreographer (Remington) starts to pay attention to her, and WOW. And even though he’s in his early twenties, she doesn’t care. Everything’s great…except that she’s not getting great roles and she doesn’t feel like she fits in at the dance studio or at the incredibly hard prep school she’s attending. A...more
Not sure how to rate this one yet. It might stay a 4, although I'd probably give it 3.5 if I could. I haven't completely decided if I think the verse worked for me. There were parts to the story I didn't love, that weren't really given the attention or word count that I felt they really needed to be fully developed and there were some things I found to be inconsistent. Perhaps that's just a problem due to the fact that I read an ARC. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but perhaps it would have been...more
When I picked up this book, I had high expectations for it. The story had high potential, but fell short in many ways. Sara has been accepted to the Jersey ballet school and is living in a new city, away from the life she knew before. She is competing with the other dancer, to whom she can't quite match up. Then she meets Remington, a choreographer that is too old for her. She becomes his muse as he creates award winning dances. This is where I was disappointed. For a short time, I read the stor...more
I love books in verse, I love dance...
The book was a little disappointing.
Started out 5 stars. I didn't like Rem as a BF for Sara and it dropped to 3 :( But it had seemed really good.
I think I would have liked Rem better as JUST a choreographer. I don't know. Sara wants recognition, Rem is promising, uses her as a muse, but Lisette steals the show. So pretty much the same. But little change.
Also more about dance? But that's just me :)
And I didn't like how the beginning of the verse was the chapt...more
The book was a little disappointing.
Started out 5 stars. I didn't like Rem as a BF for Sara and it dropped to 3 :( But it had seemed really good.
I think I would have liked Rem better as JUST a choreographer. I don't know. Sara wants recognition, Rem is promising, uses her as a muse, but Lisette steals the show. So pretty much the same. But little change.
Also more about dance? But that's just me :)
And I didn't like how the beginning of the verse was the chapt...more
Overall I didn't much care for this book. I think that's because it was written in verse, which made it hard for me to understand a lot of the story.
Sarah grew up in Darby Station, Vermont, an only child who was prodded into becoming a ballerina. When she's offered a scholarship to a no-name school in New Jersey, she realizes that she wasn't so special after all. While there she meets and falls for Remington, a choreographer. The whole...book is about their "relationship" and how she truly feel...more
Sarah grew up in Darby Station, Vermont, an only child who was prodded into becoming a ballerina. When she's offered a scholarship to a no-name school in New Jersey, she realizes that she wasn't so special after all. While there she meets and falls for Remington, a choreographer. The whole...book is about their "relationship" and how she truly feel...more
I love all things dance, whether it's ballet, tap, hip-hop...if it's trippin the light fantastic then I love it but this story wasn't what I was expecting.
I thought the writing was beautiful and poetic in style but the story itself left me feeling sad and kind of depressed. It's hard when you follow a dream only to find out it's not at all what you expected or that you are not as good as you need to be in order to be the star. Sara was never going to be the prima ballerina that Lisette was but...more
I thought the writing was beautiful and poetic in style but the story itself left me feeling sad and kind of depressed. It's hard when you follow a dream only to find out it's not at all what you expected or that you are not as good as you need to be in order to be the star. Sara was never going to be the prima ballerina that Lisette was but...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPL YA Reading Ch...: YA R.C. Audition | 1 | 3 | Apr 30, 2013 09:05pm |
Stasia Kehoe grew up dancing and performing on stages from New Hampshire to Washington, DC. She now writes books for young adults and choreographs the occasional musical.
More about Stasia Ward Kehoe...
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“I feel his arm
Lightly
Over me.
He takes one of my outstretched hands.
Draws it beneath my stomach.
"One more time..."
This is not sex,
Not friendship.
Something
Strange
Special
In the stillness of his breath,
The waterlike way he moves.
He is making a dance.
We are making a dance.”
—
23 people liked it
Lightly
Over me.
He takes one of my outstretched hands.
Draws it beneath my stomach.
"One more time..."
This is not sex,
Not friendship.
Something
Strange
Special
In the stillness of his breath,
The waterlike way he moves.
He is making a dance.
We are making a dance.”
“I am pretty sure the myth of me
Is better than the reality.”
—
14 people liked it
More quotes…
Is better than the reality.”
