A bold and emotionally gripping novel about a teenage Latinx girl finding freedom through dance and breaking expectations in 1980s Minnesota.
Debut
When sixteen-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house.
After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki--the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop--leaps into her life. Weighed down by family expectations, Rosa is at a crossroads, desperate to escape so she can show everyone what she can do when freed of her pointe shoes. Now is her chance to break away from a life in tulle, grooving to that unmistakable Minneapolis sound reverberating through every bone in her body.
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Reviews
"A powerful story of overcoming expectations with a hopeful ending."
- Kirkus -
"Firmly rooted in era and place, interwoven with Spanish and filled with vivid, frequently gritty, sensory details and suspenseful subplots, the novel powerfully depicts Rosa’s emotional voice, deep love for Gloria, and struggles toward understanding, acceptance, and joy."
-Publishers Weekly-
"A story that will cling to hearts and minds long after its final words. Hauntingly gorgeous."
- LAURA TAYLOR NAMEY, New York Timesbestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow -
"A must read for anyone with a heart."
-DANTE MEDEMA, author of The Truth Project -
"Five out of Five curtain calls."
-SUSAN AZIM BOYER, author of, Jasmine Zumideh Need a Win -