Whether they’re devoted dancers or in it just for fun, kids of all kinds are invited to the Shimmer and Shine studio! In this second book in a series, Indu overcomes some stage fright with the help of her ballet besties. Indu loves learning ballet at her local community dance school, but unlike her friends, she doesn’t want to be a principal dancer when she grows up. While she’s a bit afraid of being on stage, dancing is still one of her favorite hobbies. When the class has the chance to see the ballet Cinderella put on professionally, Indu realizes the other way she’s different—her mom can’t afford the ticket. Indu figures out a way to go, but it makes her think: Aren’t there other kids out there who want to learn ballet and can’t? Shouldn’t ballet be for everyone? From a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and an award-winning children’s author comes an engaging story of friendship, responsibility, and teamwork, with back matter explaining the various dance techniques and more. Black-and-white illustrations bring a diverse group of characters to life. Aspiring ballet dancers will find plenty to love in this positive series sequel. . . . A tender friendship story where honesty, courage, and a sense of belonging take center stage. —Kirkus Reviews Pleasant and inclusive. . . These stories, which were written in ­partnership with a principal dancer with the royal ­ballet, feature realistic ballet details that young dancers will appreciate, as well as regular illustrations throughout. —School Library Journal Yasmine Naghdi is a principal of the Royal Ballet and has been dancing with the company since 2010. Her many roles include Odette/Odile ( Swan Lake ), Princess Aurora ( The Sleeping Beauty ), Juliet ( Romeo and Juliet ), and the Sugar Plum Fairy ( The Nutcracker ). She has performed all over the world and is passionate about showing that ballet is for everyone. Yasmine Naghdi lives in London. Chitra Soundar is the award-winning author of more than forty books for children, including a series of chapter books about Sona Sharma, illustrated by Jen Khatun, as well as A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth: Stories from India , illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy, and It’s Time to Hush and Say Good Night , illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. Chitra Soundar loves writing books in a variety of genres and travels the world visiting schools and appearing at festivals to bring Indian stories to children everywhere. She grew up in Chennai, India, and lives in southeast London. Paula Franco studied illustration and graphic design at Instituto Superior Comunicación Visual in Argentina and now illustrates children’s books. She lives in Argentina. Chapter One When Indu stepped into the kitchen for breakfast, her mom was already dressed for work in her blue hospital uniform. To Indu’s surprise, she was stacking a random assortment of books, shoeboxes, and bags of clothes. “What’s going on, Mom?” asked Indu. “Are we moving?” “No,” said Mom. “I’m just decluttering. I want to sell these things I don’t need anymore.” “Don’t sell anything of mine,” said Indu, thinking of all her books. “You’re such a pack rat,” said Mom with a chuckle. “Holding on to things, just like your granddad.” Before Indu could reply, the doorbell rang. “That’ll be Yara,” she shouted as she rushed to the door. Yara was one of Indu’s best friends. Their mothers took turns taking them to school, although it was usually Mrs. Madani because Indu’s mom often had to do double shifts at the hospital. Indu opened the door and beamed at Yara and her mom. “Hi, Indu,” said Mrs. Madani. “Ready to go?” “Yup! Bye, Mom,” Indu called as she picked up her bag. “Don’t give away any of my stuff, and don’t forget: today’s our first class back at Shimmer and Shine—it’s the new term!” “I won’t forget,” said Mom. “Have a good day at school!” Shimmer and Shine was more than a ballet class for Indu. When she was younger, she’d learned Bharatanatyam, an Indian traditional dance, but she always got bad stage fright when it came to performing and eventually gave up dancing. That was until a few months ago, when she had enrolled at the local ballet studio to try to overcome her fears. She’d made new friends there—Yara, Momoka, Dante, and Charlie—and while she was still very nervous about being in front of an audience, she had loved learning to dance again. On their way to school, Indu and Yara walked ahead of Mrs. Madani. “Are you excited about Shimmer and Shine?” asked Indu. “Super excited,” said Yara. “And I’ve got a new leotard and skirt. I grew taller over the break and don’t fit into my old things anymore.” Indu wondered if hers might be a tad small too. Maybe no one will notice , she thought. She knew she couldn’t ask Mom for new ballet wear yet—they didn’t have a lot of extra money for luxuries. A new leotard, ballet tights, and a chiffon wrap skirt every term would be just that: a luxury. If Indu did need them, Mom would try to find her secondhand ones. “It’s