Family expectations come up against a young person’s dreams in this compelling installment of the fun, inclusive, and accessible series Ballet Besties, bringing the joy of dance to young readers. Momoka lives to dance, and learning ballet at the Shimmer and Shine studio with all her friends is a dream come true. But her grandma, a world-renowned violinist, is coming to visit, and she wants Momoka to follow in her footsteps. Momoka worries about how she will break the news—she doesn’t want to disappoint Grandma, but her heart belongs only to dance. Can the ballet besties help Momoka embrace her dream? Can a performance of The Nutcracker go to plan if she tries to juggle it alongside playing the violin? And will Momoka ever find the courage to show Grandma just how important ballet is to her? Pirouette your way into the Shimmer and Shine dance studio, where the ballet besties are ready to put on a show! 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. She 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. Chitra Soundar grew up in Chennai, India, and lives in southeast London. Paula Franco studied illustration and graphic design at the Instituto Superior Comunicación Visual in Argentina and now illustrates children’s books. She lives in Argentina.