The reel wish

Méndez (The Trouble with Sunshine) examines the toll that participating in elite dance has on one child's friendships and mental health in this emotionally raw and honest offering. Eleven-year-old Latina ballerina Florencia is ecstatic upon securing the lead role in the Utah Valley Junior Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. But when, on opening night, she experiences a panic attack on stage, her brown-skinned best friend Selena steps in to continue the performance and Flor is expelled from the dance company. Feeling unmoored, Flor contends with drastic changes to her daily routine and the end of her lifelong friendship with Selena, brought about by Flor's own feelings of inadequacy and Selena's sudden mean-girl bullying. When Flor learns about a new form of dance, however, she realizes that she can seek joy and friendship outside of ballet. Via unflinching prose, Méndez showcases how the cruel, sometimes racist bullying that Flor experiences impacts her existing anxiety, and the steps she takes to better her own circumstances. Depictions of supportive caregivers and earnest friendships serve to elevate this story of a tween persevering under pressure. Spanish-language edition publishing simultaneously. Ages 8--12. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Apr.)

In this latest offering from award winner Méndez, a crisis leads a girl to wrestle with questions of selfhood: "Without dance, I wasn't sure who I was." Florencia del Lago, whose parents are from Argentina, is cast as the first-ever Latina Clara--and, at 11, the youngest one, too--in the Utah Valley Junior Ballet ensemble's performance ofThe Nutcracker. With the starring role comes tremendous pressure from Madame Sophie, her strict ballet instructor. Flor's grades suffer, she constantly questions her abilities and appearance, and her mother's own unfulfilled ballerina dreams weigh on her. On the night of the first performance, Flor has a panic attack, which leads to public humiliation and a terrible fight between Mamá and Madame Sophie. Flor loses her spot in the studio, and her best friend, Selena, assumes the role of Clara. Flor is forced to evaluate herself, her love of dance, and the true definition of friendship. Flor's journey is full of self-reflection, but her ample progress and insights propel the story and balance the introspective moments. That Flor is able to move past people and activities that don't serve her, while getting therapy and trying to find new things to make her happy, will serve as inspiration to anyone who feels defined by something they used to do. A beautifully realized book that reminds readers that there's more than one rhythm to dance to. (author's note, glossary)(Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.