Follow four young dancers in their first semester at the Vancouver International Ballet Academy while they work toward careers as professional ballet dancers.

Kaitlyn, Taylor, Alexandra, and Julian are all students at the Vancouver International Ballet Academy where ballet and drama dominate everyone’s lives.

Kaitlyn was the star at her old school, but the competition at VIBA is fierce and her reputation as a prodigy is threatened. About to turn fifteen years old, Taylor is a bit of a scatterbrain. She’s got a lot of potential, but the teachers are frustrated with her lack of confidence, and her troubles at school aren’t helping. Alexandra has done everything right, and she’s determined to become a dancer, but the teachers at VIBA seem to be against helping her. Julian, at fifteen, loves dance, so going to a professional ballet school seems fun — even if it does take over every aspect of his life.

It’s only their first semester, but these four students will have to push themselves to their limits to make it through their first major performance, The Nutcracker, and continue on the path to becoming professional dancers.

Charis Marsh has been dancing for as long as she can remember, and loves the people you meet in the dance world almost as much as the dancing. She has performed in many productions, including The Nutcracker. Her previous novel in the Ballet School Confidential series is Love You, Hate You. She lives in Vancouver.

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Love You, Hate You is energetic and readable. The main characters have the possibility to grow, and grow up.

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The books greatest strength is Marsh's ability to thrust readers into dance-school life. Those who love to dance, as well as dancers who are reluctant readers, will devour this novel.

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