Sugar Plum Ballerinas: Toeshoe Trouble

Written by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood and Ashley Evans

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

The second book of the award-winning and bestselling Sugar Plum Ballerinas series by Whoopi Goldberg—now featuring brand-new illustrations!   At the Nutcracker School of Ballet in Harlem, young dancers learn to chassé, plié, and jeté with their Sugar Plum Sisters—but things don't always go to plan! As the girls encounter challenges both on and off stage, they'll need the support of their classmates to carry them through with aplomb.   Brenda Black prides herself on her logical and orderly mind. She studies anatomy books and idolizes Leonardo da Vinci. But things go haywire when her spoiled cousin Tiffany comes to visit. Fed up with Tiffany's bragging, Brenda snaps when Tiffany implies that Brenda is not cultured enough to know who Miss Camilla Freeman is—Miss Camilla Freeman, the very famous prima ballerina. Brenda tells Tiffany that not only does she know who Camilla Freeman is, but she happens to own an autographed pair of her toeshoes.   The problem? Those shoes actually belong to Ms. Debbé, the headmistress of the Nutcracker School! Brenda's anatomy books might get her into medical school one day, but they can't get her off of this ballet slipper-y slope—for that, she'll need the help of her Sugar Plum Sisters!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781549187773

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) and is the bestselling author of the Sugar Plum Ballerina series, Book, and Is It Just Me? While performing in the Bay Area she created the characters that became The Spook Show and evolved into her hit Broadway show, Grammy Award–winning album, and the HBO special that helped launch her career. Spanning decades, Whoopi’s credits include roles in the well-known films The Color Purple, Ghosts of Mississippi, Sister Act, and Ghost. She produced the documentary Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, and she appeared in and was one of the producers of the critically acclaimed 2022 feature film Till. She loves VW Bugs, working casinos, and comfortable clothing; is a passionate supporter of the audio arts and dedicated collector of audiobooks; and heads the Whoopfam Group, makers of Emma & Clyde, Whoopi & Maya, and other recreational and medicinal marijuana products. 

[cindyfesemyer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Though this is not the best thing I've ever read aloud to my kids, I really do appreciate the entire series as s whole. It stars a number of young girls, early tweens I'd say, who take a ballet class together and have some adventures along the way. These girls have backgrounds very different from one another--from super tomboy to frilly girly girl--and are the best of friends.

My girls like hearing about Epatha the best. She's the working class Latina/Italian spitfire who always cracks them up with her antics. Add in the triplets who come from a well-off professional Black family. Terrel, the middle class Asian know-it-all. Al, lower middle class of a single mother. And more.

With kids of color of my own, I'm happy to have this alternative to the norm to share with them at bedtime.