Breaking pointe by Chenee Marrapodi

Amelia, a teen for whom classical dance is everything, has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and devastated, she fears that this will end her ballet career at the Perth dance academy. She tries to sidestep her parents’ protective behaviour as she learns how to manage her condition, and realises how it also affects her other relationships. Amelia also has to contend with a new teacher who is choreographing modern dance, not her forte, for the academy’s showcase.

Her best friend Valentina comes from a large traditional Italian family and also fears her dancing ambitions are coming to an end as her family struggles to pay the tuition fees and she realises that she has stiff competition for being awarded a coveted scholarship.

The chapters alternate between Amelia and Valentina’s points of view. This gives both a ‘personal’ and ‘best friend’ perspective to their dilemmas, which include accepting a diabetes diagnosis and learning to manage it, and negotiating the conflict between migrant family values, and wider Australian culture.

Following the characters in One Wrong Turn, published in 2023, Marrapodi’s second ballet book shows the intense focus needed to succeed in the dance world. She has created a world that avid dancers, both classical and contemporary, would easily recognise and relate to. Marrapodi also addresses the difficulties of gaining independence from family, and forging and maintaining peer friendships, that most teen readers would have experience of. Her characters are strong young women who realise they need to both cooperate and compete, in order to achieve their dreams.

Marrapodi’s text incorporates many dance terms and Italian dialogue which would be appreciated by readers familiar with these terms, but do not make reading difficult for those unfamiliar, as they are well embedded within the context of the story.

This is a fast-paced read that will have readers invested in the characters and kept guessing right to the end; will Amelia be able to continue to dance? Will Valentina win the scholarship? Highly recommended for middle grade readers, particularly those interested in ballet. Teaching notes are available. 

Themes: Friendship, Dance, Ballet, Diabetes, Italian.

Margaret Crohn