She sure does: Alicia Alonso Takes the Stage

by Rebel Girls

#AliciaAlonsoTakestheStage #NetGalley

Rebel Girls has done a fantastic job with this series of biographies about girls/women who faced challenges and successfully dealt with them. These are chapter books with short(ish) sections and good illustrations. They are just a bit over 100 pages long. To me, they seem just right for those in second or third grade and up.

This time, one of the best known dancer’s story is told. Life was not always easy for Alicia as she faced a serious vision problem that, in a less strong person, might have been career ending. How did she manage not to give up and not to hold back?

Young readers will enjoy getting to know Alicia, who adored dance from an early age, studying dance in Spain and Cuba before moving to New York with a young Senor Alonso. I loved the story of how she got her first pair of ballet toe shoes. Readers will be cheering for Alicia as she becomes the person that she dreamed of being.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebel Girls for this title.

School Library Journal says:

With this powerful, hope-filled story of overcoming one’s obstacles, readers will close this book and feel inspired to leave a legacy of their own.”

Pub date: 07 February 2023