Ellie's Chance to Dance

Royal Ballet School Diaries #1

by Alexandra Moss

Ten-year-old Ellie Brown is an American girl living in London. For Ellie, ballet isn't just a dream, it's become a way of life. She's danced for almost as long as she can remember and started ballet lessons when she was four. Now Ellie is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime-a chance to audition for a spot to dance with the Royal Ballet. But Ellie knows that even if she won a place, it would mean moving to London and leaving her ill-stricken mother behind with no one to care for her. When the day of the audition finally arrives, Ellie must decide between pursuing her dreams or sacrificing her goals of joining the Royal Ballet to be with her mother. What will Ellie do?

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Contemporary, Boarding School

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2005

Reviews

[cole ♥ clearlyreading]

I just remembered this series from my childhood, it was one of the few series where I actually read more than the first book from the library. I loved these!

[Mary]

A ballet series that isn't all vomit. Not that I've experienced any that were. But it could easily have swung that way.

It's about tween (11 y/o) who is auditioning for the Royal School of Ballet in England. It's not all cupcakes and sunshine - it's an actual kid, with actual people around them, aspiring toward actual goals. I love it.

[Veronica]

Recently remembered this series from when I read it back in middle school & decided to give it another go. I loved it then & I love it now. Its not too much ballet talk that it overpowers the plot and I love that. The author really captures a balance between each story line.

[Beatrice]

Ellie’s Chance to Dance is about a girl called Ellie who moves from Chicago to Oxford because her mother gets a job as a professor at Oxford University.

Ellie makes friends with a neighbour, Phoebe, who goes to her school. While she attends regular school, Ellie goes to a local ballet school and attends fortnightly classes as part of the Junior Associates program at The Royal Ballet School. But Ellie’s dream is to dance full-time at the Royal Ballet School.

Things aren’t always easy for Ellie. She has to deal with jealous girls at school and at ballet, and she worries about her mother who has MS. My favourite part is when Ellie gets excited about applying for the Royal Ballet School.

[Alyssa]

A really cute book on the TRUE life of a ballerina. (Take it from someone who knows) Yeah, it isn't just flouncing around like a pretty princess, it takes raw work and talent to fit the physically demanding role of a ballerina. NOW who says ballet isn't a sport?

[Elizabeth]

I thought this was a great book about friendship and ballet. The book started off very sad but ended in a happy ending! I really enjoyed this because it showed meanings about friendship and dancing. I recomment this to everyone!!

[Eve L-A Witherington]

Ellie and her mum move from Chicago to Oxford in England. Her mum suffers with MS and her dad passed away when she was young.



After getting an audition for the Royal Ballet School she hopes she can dance well enough to get accepted only will she make it to the audition with her mum having MS and her own nervousness?



Ellie has a lot of worries about will she get in, could she start her career nkw, who'll look after her mum and also has to make friends and deal with her school's pressures and bullies. I always enjoy a ballet themes book but with a chronically ill parent this added a unique edge we rarely see in children's fiction and added to the rolling drama in the book.



A great read for a dance fan to pick up and enjoy!

[⭐️⭐️⭐️]

🌟Loved the ending very predictable but still loved it. I enjoyed the book because it wasn’t just another ballet book that was all airy fairy it actually showed the grit and determination that dancers have. People think ballet is easy and that we dance around in frilly tutus but it’s the complete opposite.

🌟I liked the backstory that Ellie had and the character development of Rachel.

🌟Age rating:
well the characters are 10-11 in the book so I would give the age rating anyone above the age of ~7~ because of the issues it tackles with the mum’s illness.

[Melissa Namba]

I'm not a connoisseur of ballet, but I certainly enjoy watching it. the names dropped in the book went over my head. however, I enjoyed the focus on hard work, taking care of others, and little social challenges that all tweens go through. it's obvious that she is going to male it into the academy because this is a series, but the journey was good.

[Reaghan]

OMG, I love this book. Read along as Ellie Brown, a want-to-be Royal Ballet School student, gets to audition. Some mishaps, some wonderful things, and some downright terrible things, meet Ellie along the way. Also, the other books are great to.

[Samantha]

The Royal Ballet School Diaries fulfilled all of my childhood fantasies about training to be a prima ballerina with a group of like-minded people who were going after the exact same dream. Ellie is an American in London, auditioning for the Royal Ballet’s elite training program for young dancers: it’s a big. deal. Perhaps a bit on the young side, this series offers a truly spot-on perspective of a developing dancer on her way to stardom and a lovely look into the mind of a young girl as she pursues her dreams.

Check out some other awesome books for young readers over on my blog!

[Margaux]

As a 30-year-old, I found myself enjoying this youth novel very much. Such a cute story with well-developed characters who have values. You'll love it even more if ballet is your thing.

[Alice Daas]

I adore this book!!! Elle's story shows how ballet is truly the most graceful yet toughest "sport" ever , yes I said sport because it really takes a determined athlete to be a successful performer/ballerina: a hell lot of practice,skill, hyper-flexibility and coordination and if you mess up a move you can seriously injure yourself!! Doing the vertical splits standing on a finger tip while keeping the body perfectly straight and not wobbling for a good 10 seconds!! And the pirouette position that requires centered balance to keep me from stumbling...
There's nothing more difficult, but also, nothing more rewarding than ballet :)♥️♥️

[Laura]

I really enjoyed this book! I know it's just a short children's book, but I thought it was interesting to read about a 10 year old who moves from Chicago to Oxford. I have also never read anything about ballet before, so that was interesting, too. I look forward to the rest in the series.

[CLM]

I bought the first two in this series for my younger niece who takes ballet, and I enjoyed them but am not sure she ever actually picked them up.

[Marley]

I thought this book was really easy to read but I engoyed it.

[Alicia Herret]

Very good. I liked it very much.

[Anna]

Luv this book!!

[Ruth]

Great series of young Elle Brown who's dream of being a ballet dancer comes true.

[Elena]

Pretty good, i liked it a lot. but then again i'm a dance fanatic.