Ambitious just wasn’t the book for me. The idea was nice: I like how the novel features ethnic variety in the two narrators, Mari being a poor Latina dancer and Drew being a wealthy African American, and I like the premise behind the novel. However, it wasn't developed well enough for me. The characters are superficial and stereotypical, and the entire plot is too generalized and overly predictable as a whole.

I like to see characters struggle. While Mari and Drew, the two narrators, do have problems of their own, the various side plots were never developed with depth, and everything else came too easy for them. Mari is gorgeous and excels at dancing when she hasn’t taken many formal dance classes. Drew is a star basketball player who decided to pursue his love of the stage, and he too takes lead roles without having studied acting. And just how did they both make it into the prestigious Premiere High without much formal study of their choice of the performing arts?

On the whole, there isn’t nearly enough character or plot development for me, an underlying problem that I’ve found in shorter YA novels. Rather than calling this a YA novel, I believe that middle grade students will enjoy a lot more, as the story isn’t complex, though I have read middle-grade novels that I liked a lot better. Note that there are gangs in this book, smoking, and romance. There isn’t any sexual activity. ( )

First in a new series set in a New York performing arts high school, this novel in two voices will appeal to those who have outgrown High School Musical. Two newcomers to the school meet at their auditions: Mari is a dancer leaving the familiarity of her Brooklyn neighborhood; Drew, the son of a sportscaster, struggles to overcome his father's vision of him as a future basketball player. Though the plot delves into the realities of living in a neighborhood where gang violence nips at the edges, the budding romance between Mari and Drew and their friends stays at an innocent level, making this an appealing title for middle schoolers yearning to read about high school life in Manhattan. Recommended. (136) ( )