Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Allegra.

Hrdlitschka, Shelley.   Allegra.  Orca  2013  256p  ISBN 978-1-4598-0197-4    jr/sr  Paperback  E-BN Realistic fiction

Allegra's mother is a classical musician and her father is a popular musician whose band still tours. Allegra herself wants to be a dancer and has finally gotten into a high school for the performing arts to pursue her goal. Given her parents, Allegra is less than thrilled to learn she cannot get out of a music theory course she knows is a waste of her time, but that is not her only disappointment. Her dance instructor is utterly unimpressed by her technique and training thus far, and she is not comfortable reaching out to her peers for friendship.  The story deals with several thorny subjects.  One subplot involves the unhappy marriage of Allegra's parents.  Their crumbling marriage is depicted with an accuracy children of divorce will recognize and relate to.  The thorny subject that gets the most attention, however, is that of student-teacher relationships, and where the line lies between appropriate and inappropriate.  This is explored when Allegra develops a crush on her music theory teacher Mr. Rochelli, whom she finds easier to relate to than people her own age.  He's young, attractive, academically challenging, and he respects her abilities.  It's no wonder she crushes.  When they start working on a composition he assigned her, he behaves unprofessionally by treating her as a fellow professional rather than a student: the two meet after school and use first names, and there are definitely moments that Allegra views as Moments.  But author Shelley Hrdlitschka makes it clear that while Mr. Rochelli is a bit too chummy, he does not actually return Allegra's affections.  This book seems to fly by, and at no point does will a reader find that they wish a certain part would just end so the rest of the story can happen.  Allegra's crush has some very serious and unfortunate consequences, but these are mitigated at the end, and even her parents' marital difficulties seem to be returning to normal.  One thing to keep in mind is that this is not a book about dance, but it is still a very, very good book.  Public libraries and school libraries will find a great many readers for this book, and although it is priced higher than the average young-adult paperback, it is worth the purchase price.    

Summary: Allegra wants to dance, but when her music-theory teacher insists she undertake a composition project their collaboration brings unforeseen changes in both their lives. 

Dance-Fiction                                               --Bethany Geleskie