1 Ballerina with Very Large Breasts Inhibiting Her Career
1 Arts School
1 Performance of Cinderella
1 Bitchy Ballerina Rival
1 New (Cute) (Straight) Boy
Several Red Pointe Shoes with Cryptic Messages
Overexcited Arts Students Reading Too Much Into Things

1 Contemplated Breast Reduction Surgery
1 Interesting Art Project About Body Image/Censorship sparking
1 Censorship Firestorm ( )

Interest/Grade Level: Grades 7-12

Synopsis:
Kayla is a 16-year-old high school student who loves ballet. She attends, along with her sister (Paterson) a school for the arts called Florida Arts High School, euphemistically referred to as “Farts.” Paterson is a senior with a passion for feminist rights and art. Kayla’s dilemma is her non-typical ballet body. She has large breast that prevent her from having the lead in the production at Farts of Cinderella. She has the talent but not the small, lithe frame characteristic of dancers. Her teacher suggests seeing a plastic surgeon about reducing her double-D breast to a smaller size. In the midst of this and Paterson’s art exhibit being censored, red toe shoes with an ominous note attached begin to appear at school. The title, “Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You” is an allusion to a folktale called “Red Shoes.” The dialogue and humor makes this a fun read as the characters have all the nuances of high school teenagers everywhere. Sarcasm and witty repartee are evident between the students. It turns out the red toes shoes are really an art project of Kayla’s new boyfriend, Gray, and not death threats by another ballerina, Melissa. Ultimately, Kayla must decide if she is going to have surgery to become a lead ballerina and Paterson must decide if she will redo or modify her art project.
Review:
One of my students suggested I read this after I asked her how she liked the book. This particular student is a tall girl (5’10”) and aspires to be a ballet dancer. She chose this book to see how the main character (Kayla) dealt with her own limitations. The dialogue between the characters is very amusing. At the same time, it is a rather touching story as Kayla deals with peer pressure and how to be comfortable with her body. I like how there is a sweet budding love story and that one of her friends is gay (Joey is a ballet dancer as well). Both situations are easily dealt with as normal and non-exceptional. When the dancers and the art department decide to protest the principal’s censorship decision, it reminded me of my days protesting the Viet Nam war. The topic of body image is central to Kayla and I was pleasantly surprised that she decides not to have the surgery. She takes a new view of how she can continue with ballet while not being a prima ballerina. It is good to see her examining other alternatives and still stay in her field of passion. I really appreciated that Kayla’s mom took her to the doctor and also held her confidences from Paterson. I would recommend this book to middle and high school students, especial to those girls with mild body dysmorphic issues. This is a funny book to read while addressing real issues to discuss with teen girls. ( )

Kayla loves to dance but her over-sized breasts are becoming a problem. When she misses out on the lead role because of them, her teacher suggests surgery. To add to her worries, a pair of red ballet shoes are found with a threatening message.
This book is a thoughtful yet humourous look at body image and conformity referring to a number of fairy tales where the heroine was mutilated to conform. On the whole the characters are well-drawn however Kayla's boyfriend seems a little too good to be true.
Recommended for teen girls - especially those who love dance. ( )

A very cute book about a teenager with big bazoombas that interfere with her aspirations to be a ballerina. With allusions to the Andersen fairy tale "The Red Shoes" and the Grimms' "Cinderella" as a springboard to discuss female body issues and social pressures, this is an important book for young girls. With a dash of innocent romance and a sprinkling of mystery, this made for quite a page-turner that I finished in just a few hours. Some of the ballet talk was a little lost on me, but I muddled through. ( )

I liked this book and went back and read it again and I found there was a lot I missed from before. It really puts you in her shoes and makes you feel like she feels. ( )