Ocra Limelights are a series of hi-lo books from Orca Books. Hi-lo books are books that are high in interest and low in effort. They're especially good for struggling readers. As such, OFF POINTE is short, to the point, and very easy to read.

Meg is a ballerina. She lives and breathes ballet, and hopes to do it professionally. However, there is something holding her back. So when her ballet camp plans fall through, her teacher advises her to go to a different dance camp, one that will expose her to other disciplines. Meg decides to focus on contemporary thanks to Nio, the boy she set next to on the bus. But she's deeply unhappy to not be doing ballet, and finds contemporary somewhat embarrassing. She doesn't like improving dancing like a tree and such.

There's two storylines. One is about Meg's dance, learning to stretch herself and develop a comfortable stage presences. The second has to do with her rivalry with Logan, the star of the contemporary class and Nio's usual partner. The two girls are jealous of each other and the other's friendship with Nio. It's all very platonic as the book dances around the fact that Nio is probably gay. (Obviously, not all male dancers are gay, but Nio certainly doesn't seem interested in the girls around him, even when they are having catfights over his attention.)

The brief page count means there isn't time for OFF POINTE to go off into unpredictable directions. But that's fine. Sometimes a standard plot executed well is enough. OFF POINTE is well suited to the targeted group, and it is perfect for dance-crazy young readers. ( )

I generally enjoy books and movies about dancers so I was looking forward to reading this one. The best thing I can say about this book is that it's short and contained. The story is pretty derivative. Meg is a young ballet dancer who by happenstance ends up at a dance camp instead of her usual summer ballet intensive. Her teacher has told her that while she is technically skilled, she needs to work on connecting with the audience.

At camp she focuses on contemporary dance, befriending a dancer named Nio and earning the ire of his best friend Logan. By expanding her dancing boundaries Meg is able to face her fears of failing as a dancer and is able deepen her dancing skills.

It's a story I've read and seen many times before and this book doesn't bring anything new to the table. ( )

Megan and ballet go hand in hand. She lives and breathes ballet, dreams about pirouettes and arabesques, piques and sautes. Which is why she is heartbroken to learn that not only is her ballet camp canceled but that her own teacher thinks that she doesn't quite have all the necessary requirements to be a ballerina.

When her teacher suggests that Megan spend two weeks at Camp Dance, learning how to connect with her audience Megan is less than thrilled.

Camp Dance doesn't offer one ballet class and Megan feels that it will be a waste of her time to go while all the other dancers in her company are improving their technique and mastering their dance skills. But what Megan learns from Camp Dance is much more than stage presence and self esteem, she learns about friendship and how to believe in herself and others.

"Off Pointe" was a cute read, definitely geared toward a younger audience but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to younger readers who have a passion for dance of any kind.

Until next time,
Ginger

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review.
My review is my honest opinion. ( )

Meg has just finished her spring ballet show, and she is excited to attend her ballet dance camp for the summer. Unfortunately, ballet camp has been cancelled, and Meg's parents encourage her to attend a different camp to expand her dancing skills. Will Meg be able to adapt to different styles of dancing, or will she be the lonely, odd dancer? ( )

Off Pointe was a very quick read (more like a ya novella than a novel). It is pretty slight, but it still managed to do a good job of showing how fear of failing can hold people back quite a lot. I love ballet novels and camp stories, so this book should be right up my alley, but it's more somber and serious than most of those books usually are. It brought up some interesting and important issues, like fear, failure, and identity, and while it seems to be styled as a serious book, it just does not give itself enough room to deal with issues that are this big, and thus the resolution of these issues comes across as fatuous. ( )