Samantha on Stage

by Susan Clement Farrar, Ruth Sanderson

Eleven-year-old Samantha has always been the best in her ballet class, but when she sees the new Russian girl dance she begins to wonder who will get the coveted lead in the school's production of the Nutcracker ballet.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite book somewhere around 4th or 5th grade. I know I read it over 20 times.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has done Ballet since I was three, this book is very familiar to me. I feel the love of dance in the writing and it's pretty enchanting. When I was younger it really cemented my enthusiasm for Ballet and made me want to do it for the rest of my life, which is what all good children's books focused around a particular activity should do.
It's also very technically correct, which the technique side of me loves.

Samantha as the protagonist is bright, vibrant and utterly likable. The camaraderie between all the girls is lovely and I love the theme that Lizinka brings to the book - accepting differences and being united under a common love is a great message. Overall it's no great work of literature, sure, but it's beautiful in its own right. It's a book crafted by love and it shows.

[Ann Woodbury Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been rereading some of the children's and teen ballet stories I liked years ago. A handful are so old (1950s) and dated that they're actually funny in ways the authors didn't intend (Lorna Hill, for example). Others are massively stereotyped (like "Maggie Adams, Dancer" from 1980! that features an obedient stay-at-home mother, a demanding doctor father, and a boyfriend who hates ballet and treats girls as prospective wives, an all-too-frequent theme in these books). The first time I read "Samantha" I had major criticisms and they all came back to me. Lizinka is NOT a Russian name. A Russian girl talented enough to be accepted by the Bolshoi Ballet would have stayed there as a boarder when her father came to the U.S. as a diplomat--or attended one of the elite NYC schools; she would NEVER have set foot in Miss Jan's suburban classroom. Girls as advanced as Samantha would be taking at least two classes a week. What's the silliness about wanting pink tights, which are standard? Ballet-mad girls who live 25 miles from NYC (presumably in Connecticut or Long Island) would see professional companies perform more than never or once; Miss Jan and/or their mothers should be organizing regular trips to the city for them. In the opening chapter Samantha "forgets" to pin her hair up; a responsible teacher would have banned her from the class. Now, if Lizinka's father was a visiting professor or doctor somewhere out in the boondocks, this story might make slightly more sense, but as it is it just doesn't pass the reality test. Of course, that's the point (pun intended) of all these novels: they're completely divorced from the real world.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my granddaughters left this here. I sat down and started reading it and could not put it down. It is a perfect book for a young lady who is interested in dance classes. Samantha learned so much and matured so much from the first page to the last. Great book.

[Pearl Williams]

I loved this book as a child, I was also doing Ballet.
I want to get a copy for my Granddaughters

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother gave me this book recently with an inscription from my grandmother.
To Sarah, 5 years old
From,
Grandma Kimberlin
May 1988

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was slightly put off by all the French ballet terms that were used to create the character of the book. For that I would suggest the book is best read by one used to the art of ballet. But then the book took a surprising turn.

The story ended up instead of being just all about ballet into being a book about friendships, about overcoming obstacles whether another lifestyle or a replacement move and about triumphant. With the exception of the French ballet terminology the book was easy to read and the few drawings within the book although black and white are gorgeous.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend....

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We borrowed this book because of the ballet theme. Our girls liked it, especially the descriptions of the ballet steps and performances. I thought it was a bit forced, and we didn't get lost in the story like we have with other books. Overall, though, it was pretty good.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha is a ballet dancer who meets a new Russian classmate in dance class and becomes friends with her. They both want the leading role in the Nutcracker and do both get to perform. I especially enjoyed this book (even though it was a very easy read) because I, too, am a ballet dancer.

[Tfeenstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute for a kid's book.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.