Pointe

Pointe follows Theo, a dedicated 17-year-old ballet dancer in suburban Chicago pursuing her dream of becoming a professional performer. When her best friend returns after a four-year disappearance, Theo's carefully structured life begins to crack. The story centers on Theo's preparation for a critical ballet audition while processing the revelation that her former boyfriend was her friend's kidnapper. This discovery forces her to reexamine what she believed was a past romance with an older boy when she was 13. The narrative tracks Theo's current struggles with eating disorders and intense dance training alongside her growing understanding of past events. Her pursuit of ballet excellence becomes entangled with questions of truth, memory, and self-perception. This debut novel explores themes of trauma, recovery, and the complex intersection of art, identity, and personal history. Through Theo's story, the book examines how young people navigate trust, ambition, and healing.

Readers emphasize the book's authentic portrayal of ballet training and eating disorders while tackling heavy themes of trauma and abuse. Many note the complex, flawed nature of the main character Theo and her realistic struggle to process past events. Readers appreciated: - Raw, honest depiction of competitive ballet culture - Discussion of difficult topics without sensationalism - Strong character development and relationships - Representation of Black dancers in ballet Common criticisms: - Pacing felt slow in middle sections - Some found the protagonist frustrating or unlikeable - Younger readers may find content too mature/heavy Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (80+ ratings) Review quotes: "Doesn't shy away from tough subjects but handles them with care" - Goodreads reviewer "The ballet elements feel authentic and aren't just window dressing" - Amazon reviewer "Sometimes uncomfortable to read but in a necessary way" - Barnes & Noble reviewer

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🎭 Ballet dancers typically train 6-8 hours per day, similar to Theo's rigorous schedule in the book, and many start as young as age 2 🩰 Brandy Colbert was inspired to write about ballet after years of watching dance performances and being fascinated by dancers' dedication, though she never trained in ballet herself 📚 The book won the 2014 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fiction and was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014 🎨 Eating disorders affect up to 33% of professional ballet dancers, making the book's exploration of this issue particularly relevant to the dance community 🌟 Pointe was Brandy Colbert's debut novel, launching her career as an award-winning author of young adult fiction, including Little & Lion and The Only Black Girls in Town