Starred ReviewStarred Review Pointe, Claw
Jessie Vale dances in an elite ballet program. She has to be perfect to land a spot with the professional company. When Jessie is cast in an animalistic avant-garde production, her careful composure cracks wide open.
Meanwhile, her friend Dawn McCormick’s world is full of holes. She wakes in strange places, bruised, battered, and unable to speak. The doctors are out of ideas.
These childhood friends are both running out of time. At every turn, they crash into the many ways girls are watched, judged, used, and discarded. Should they play it safe or go feral?
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
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978-1-5124-3432-3
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$23.99 |
Awards
- Booklist Top 10 Arts Books for Youth
Reviews
Novel Novice
“7 BOOKS FOR THE FEMALE REVOLUTION
If you’re like me, you’ve been feeling angry a lot lately. And I do mean a lot.
I suspect this anger is something I carry with my always – but usually it’s buried pretty deep. But with so many headlines lately about men in power being accused finally of their wrongdoings – and so many Dude Bros being grossly defensive and doubtful – that anger isn’t buried at all. It’s raging.
And while I usually read to escape the world – give me something fluffy or fantasy most any day – sometimes, you want a book that channels your anger and helps you define it and better understand it.
These are the books that have done that for me this year. Then keep reading for some recommendations from these authors, plus a chance to share YOUR recommendations.
We’re all in this together.
Pointe, Claw by Amber J. Keyser "
The Horn Book Magazine
“Keyser insightfully explores the myriad ways young women are caged and preyed upon in our society; her protagonists first subvert and then shatter these roles. . . . [W]ill leave readers unsettled long after the final page is turned.”—The Horn Book Magazine
Starred ReviewStarred Review Booklist
“It is a book of contrast and counterpoint . . . . Lines blur as the story develops, save for the knife-sharp ferocity of two young women locked in an empowering duet.”—starred, Booklist
Starred ReviewStarred Review Publishers Weekly
“Keyser’s writing shimmers with raw emotion and empathy, and her finale, much like in dance, is poetic, bittersweet, and life affirming.”—starred, Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
“The narrative is appropriately dark . . . [and] viscerally evokes struggles of modern teenagers in a brutally authentic manner.”—Kirkus Reviews
Brie Spangler
“[A brilliant] story of pain and wonder between two girls straddling the edge of body and mind.”—Brie Spangler, author of Beast