Pointe

Written by Brandy Colbert

Narrated by Tamika Katon-Donegal

Theo is better now.

She’s eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns
home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn’t talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn’t do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she’s been living
for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

Brandy Colbert dazzles in this heartbreaking yet hopeful debut novel about learning how to let go of even our most shameful secrets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705047484

Brandy Colbert

Brandy Colbert is the award-winning author of several books for children and teens, including Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which was the winner of the 2022 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and a finalist for the American Library Association's Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award. Her other acclaimed books include Pointe, The Voting Booth, The Only Black Girls in Town, and the Stonewall Book Award winner Little & Lion. A member of the faculty at Hamline University's MFA program in writing for children, Brandy lives in Los Angeles. You can find her online at brandycolbert.com.

Reviews for Pointe

[amandanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aggravatin'.

For some reason, I was hoping for a story like Center Stage or Dance Academy. However, it was less about ballet and more about pedophilia, eating disorders and adults I can only consider to be ignorant. It's hard for me to enjoy a book with a protagonist who's not sensical. There was also so little mention of the kidnapping.

[kaethe_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Backlighting is the new whitewash. If the main character is literally a black void on the cover, it must be about a black character, but the publishers are hoping some white people won't notice. Sigh.

Library copy

[heatherlinc · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I didn't finish this book, too much emphasis on parties, drugs and alcohol, and not enough on dancing.

[olegalca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cannot recommend this book highly enough. Engaging, suspenseful, emotional and well-paced. I hope to see more from Colbert in the future.

[brainannex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book needs a different cover. It doesn't do any justice to the story inside. This book is about ballet like Field of Dreams is about baseball. The ballet is a tool, a metaphor. Instead, this is a story of a young girl who has made some poor decisions and only, after her world is shaken when her former best friend returns after being abducted years ago, does she realize the extent of her errors and of her pain. Feel confident giving this to fans of Laurie Halse Anderson.