Sugar Plum Ballerinas: Perfectly Prima

Sugar Plum Ballerinas #3

by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood, Ashley Evans (Illustrator)

The third book of the award-winning and bestselling Sugar Plum Ballerinas series by Whoopi Goldberg—now featuring brand-new illustrations!

At the Nutcracker School of Ballet in Harlem, young dancers learn to chassé, plié, and jeté with their Sugar Plum Sisters—but things don't always go to plan! As the girls encounter challenges both on and off stage, they'll need the support of their classmates to carry them through with aplomb.

Perfectionistic Jerzey Mae desperately wants to be a ballet dancer. But she's frustrated by her own lack of talent--and by her friends' jokes about her terrible dancing. Things get even worse when her little brother Mason attends her ballet class, totally embarrassing Jerzey in front of her prima ballerina idol, Miss Camilla Freeman. When Jerzey learns that Miss Camilla will be attending their recital, she's determined not to make a fool of herself again. But her efforts to learn her dance are continually thwarted--until she finds help in a very unexpected place.

Genres: Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) and is the bestselling author of the Sugar Plum Ballerina series, Book, and Is It Just Me? While performing in the Bay Area she created the characters that became The Spook Show and evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy Award–winning album, and the HBO special that helped launch her career. Spanning decades, Whoopi’s credits include roles in the well-known films The Color Purple, Ghosts of Mississippi, Sister Act, and Ghost. She produced the documentary Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, and she appeared in and was one of the producers of the critically acclaimed 2022 feature film Till. She loves VW Bugs, working casinos, and comfortable clothing; is a passionate supporter of the audio arts and dedicated collector of audiobooks; and heads the Whoopfam Group, makers of Emma & Clyde, Whoopi & Maya, and other recreational and medicinal marijuana products.

Reviews

[Treasa]

The thing Jerzey Mae wants most in the world is to be a perfect ballerina, but she just can't get the steps right. Thanks to some advice from Miss Camilla, the famous ballerina, and to some help from an unexpected source, Jerzey Mae discovers that she can dance and have fun at the same time.

This is a sweet book. I found the relationship between Jerzey Mae and her little brother, Mason, especially touching while also being realistic. And the lesson Jerzey Mae learns about not being a complete perfectionist all the time is a good one - she won't dance well as long as she is stressing about being perfect, and stressing about dancing is only making her neglect more important things in her life.

Overall, a fun read. I would not hesitate to recommend this series to elementary-school-aged girls.

[Celina]

My daughter and I read these books and they are so cute! Love them!!

[Jill]

Another cute book in this series!

[Chloe C]

This was a light read about a story of a "colour" little ballerina, Jerezy Mae. Jerezy Mae was perfectionist, but at ballet she wasn't. When others turned right, she would turn left, when others plied she would jump. She was awfully frustrated with herself, and here comes even more trouble when she has to dance in the show! She later finds help somewhere very unexpected...and I guess you have to read the book for that!

This book was a really light read, but I loved it! Firstly, I'm so impressed by the amount of ballet vocabulary used in this book. But what really caught my love was the relationship between Jerezy Mae adn her little brother, during the story you can see their relationship getting closer and closer and it is so sweet to read about. I will recommend this to all ballet dancers out there and "Never Give Up!"

[Aria]

Sugar plum ballerinas is a series about little girls who has aspiring dreams in the world. Moving to Harlem and living to parents expectations, this little girl finds new hope. Very good book and the pictures are wonderful.
This book will be considered myth and realistic fiction. It talks about confidence in little girls and standing up for what is right. The lifestyle of the characters are genuine and complex. The story utilizes style and language that children can understand. There are no negative stereotypes.

This book relates to my cultural topic because it depicts the lifestyle of children growing up in an urban neighborhood. It has multiple characters with different cultures and race, and that is what I like about this book.

[Raven-Alexis Jones]

I think that this book is really good to read because it is about a little girl who is a dancer, she thinks that she should quit dance because she does not know any of the dance steps to the dance. Now was the day when the famous dancer Ms. Camilla freeman had come in to see the girls come and dance and when it was time for the little girl to dance and when she did she had messed up completely. So after the dance class was over the little girl had left, the famous dancer had come to talk to her and said if you want to dance you have to believe in yourself and just practice more until you get it. Days after the little girl's brother had helped her out with the dance and she had just kept on practicing until she got it.

[Jania Jones]

great book

[Siomara]

This girl loves to dance but it's horrible when other people tell her she can't.

[Lisa]

Another cute story, looking forward to book #4!!