Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reviewed by Julia W., 10th Grade
Rating: 9/10
Shiny Broken Pieces tells the story of three ballet students competing to earn an apprenticeship at the American Ballet Company. Only two spots are available, and dozens of dancers want them. A spot at the company ensures that one can dance as long as they are physically able. These dancers have been training their whole lives, and it all comes down to one final year with one final performance. Failure to earn a spot doesn't leave dancers with many other options. For most, if they don't become an apprentice, this will be the end of their dance journey. Shiny Broken Pieces is the sequel to Tiny Pretty Things, but can be read as a stand alone. This novel is told from several dancers' perspectives, alternating each chapter.
Gigi is back at the American Ballet Conservatory for the first time since her accident. Several months earlier, she had been pushed in front of a taxi and suffered several injuries, including a fractured leg. Gigi doesn't know who pushed her, but she knows it was someone from the school. Gigi had been severely bullied ever since she joined the school a year prior; many people were jealous of her talent and wanted her to be a failure. Now that she's back, she is ready for revenge. This year, nothing anyone does is going to stop her from being her very best. She is willing to risk it all to be one of the two dancers chosen for the apprenticeship spots.
June is the best she has ever been. She has a loving boyfriend, and she was chosen as the lead in last year's performance. now that June is finally happy with where she's at, she is going to do everything she can to keep her life the way it is. Although she starts the school year with high hopes, things quickly crumble, and June soon comes to realize that she isn't sure she has what it takes. She begins to think that she doesn't have what any dance company is looking for, let alone the American Ballet Company. She feels like she lacks some of the uniqueness that other dancers have. However, June isn't quite ready to give up on her dreams just yet. She knows nothing as grand as an apprenticeship comes without sacrifice.
Bette is described as a legacy dancer. Her mother was a dancer, and her older sister is currently a member at the American Ballet Company. Additionally, her family has made huge donations to the school. There is an entire plaza on the campus named after her family. Bette feels as though she was born to dance. Right now, though, she has been practicing in her basement with a teacher hired by her mother. Bette has been suspended from the conservatory, as she is suspected to have been the one who pushed Gigi in front of the taxi. While Bette does admit to having played tricks on Gigi and having teased her, she is adamant that she didn't push her. When Bette hears about the apprenticeship spots, she is determined to clear her name. She knows she can't earn a spot if she isn't even at school. That's easier said than done, but Bette knows she is destined to dance, and she desperately wants a fighting chance to live up to her name.
This book was a truly great read! I read it in just a few days and was entertained the whole way through. There is so much more to this book than just dancing. There are romantic relationships, friendships, unrealistic expectations, and so much backstabbing that you don't know who is friend and who is foe. All of the dancers in this novel are extremely hard working and aren't afraid to take risks. I found myself connecting to each of them in one way or another. I really hope that another addition to this series comes out; I still have some unanswered questions and I would love to know what happens to these dancers next!
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