Being accepted into the English Ballet Theater's Academy of Dance was 11-year-old Molly Plum's dream. But will that dream turn into a nightmare that threatens to ruin her chances of ever becoming a ballerina?
Enter the hallowed halls of the Academy: A prestigious ballet school steeped in history and tradition, and peek behind the stage door into a world filled with pointe shoes, friendships, tutus, and rivalries.
When Molly arrives for her first term at the English Ballet Theater's Junior School (with a little help from her ballet teacher and a full scholarship), she is so excited to begin her training she could almost burst.
But that excitement soon disappears when the hard work really begins in both the ballet studio and the academic classrooms of the Academy. The competition is fierce, and Molly rapidly begins to feel like a very puny fish in an enormously talented pond. Especially when she is picked on and bullied by one of the most promising students at the school.
But with hard work and the support of her friends, Molly does her best to ignore the cruel taunts from Pandora Pemberton and her gaggle of mean friends, concentrating instead on the upcoming auditions for a part in the Ballet Theater's production of 'The Nutcracker'.
But will all that hard work pay off? Or will Molly be left all alone in the wings?
A rich, enchanting story reminiscent of Noel Streatfield's 'Ballet Shoes' and one that young readers and dance enthusiasts will enjoy for many years to come.