Miriam’s entire life has been dance. She has been practicing extra hard for a dream role, but over stresses herself. When rushed to the emergency room, she is told that regular stress fractures are not only going to end her dance career, but may make it hard for her to walk. To say she refuses to accept the news is an understatement. While trying to train by herself, she throws a crutch and discovers a door hidden behind the mirrors of the studio. A voice leads her to a pair of golden pointe shoes that allow her to not only walk properly but dance beautifully. She asks what the catch is, and the voice says she just wants to be able to dance. Unfortunately, the slippers aren’t the automatic fix to her problem she thinks they are and is still set as a corps dancer instead of dancing as prima ballerina. Her replacement Lorelei asks for help from Miriam, to which she agrees. As Miriam gains her strength, Lorelai weakens. Soon, it isn’t just Lorelai who is in danger.
Last Dance is designed for middle grade graphic novel readers, but it highlights common themes that middle grade and older will understand. There’s the ideas of disappointment, and how jealousy can turn destructive. Last Dance is a quick read for fast readers. Hanna Schroy both wrote and illustrated Last Dance. For those who aren’t super familiar with ballet, there is a glossary at the end which tells you all about the terms used in this book.
Last Dance is now available from Iron Circus Comics.
