The orphanage is place of hardship and abuse, but she also has the good fortune of being adopted, alongside her best friend who is now her sister - - they receive much needed medical care and find themselves a part of a wonderful family in America. It must have been well-paid, to be able to afford a near-dozen overseas adoptions, which I know from acquaintances does not come cheap. A huge thank you to everyone involved in the production of this book which deserves to sit in pride of place on any bookshelf for anyone interested in reading a tale of great courage garnished with love and the beauty of ballet with its pain of bleeding toes and delicious fripperies of tutus! Michaela DePrince's story of going from a starving, neglected orphan to ballerina extraordinaire is inspiring, beautiful, and heartwarming.

And it's because of her that I recommended First Position to everyone who loved Pointe, but also might appreciate a bit of relevant cheering-up after reading it. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This is reiterated in Ch 31, and yet in Ch 32 (only 3-4 pages later) she talks about how "hard" acting was, and that she couldn't hide how she felt on a given day.I questioned myself on what I can give while jotting down names I'm sure I will enjoy in the future. Hope in a Ballet Shoe is a true story about Michaela DePrince, a little girl who lost her parents before the age of five, a little girl who saw her favorite teacher brutally, sickeningly murdered by a group of war rebels, a girl who was abused at an orphanage, who was starved and plagued with a myriad of diseases.

She talks about hard work and the of becoming a dancer, however there isn't much negativity or dark sides of her journey. A heart-breaking, inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us that, beyond everything, there is always hope for a better future.

Dirk Badenhorst has an excellent eye for fine young dancers, and more particularly, he has an empathy for and with these young people.

The book shows the extraordinary journey she took from an orphan who appeared to have no future, to one of the most wonderful ballerinas now, the sacrifices she made, the prejudice and racism she endured, the hours of dancing she partook in.She was good at swimming and outstanding at ballet, and the pursuit of this as a career is explored.