Shimmy

By Kari Jones

Lila has always wanted a career in belly dance, so she is thrilled when she is invited to join Dana Sajala’s competitive and prestigious studio. But dancing at the new studio isn’t quite what she expected. Dana Sajala is a tough teacher, and Lila finds the constant criticism stressful. On top of that, Lila misses the dancers from her old troupe, and a rift is developing between her and her best friend, Angela, who is not altogether sympathetic to Lila’s struggles. Lila has always loved belly dance—the music, the costumes, the choreography—but when she realizes that none of it is as much fun as it used to be, she starts to question whether she has made the right choice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Sep 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781459807655

Kari Jones

Kari Jones is the author of several well-received books for kids and teens, including A Fair Deal, in the Orca Footprints series. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where she teaches English and creative writing at Camosun College.

Reviews for Shimmy

[beammey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was definitely for young adults, maybe even middle grade. The writing was easy to read though and the main character, Lila, is easy to connect to. It's obvious she did research with belly dancing and made this believable. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in dancing. It's a short, quick read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.