Warm Up (Orca, $9.95), by Whistler-based teacher-librarian Sara Leach, also in the Limelights series, explores the equally competitive world of dance. Jasmine and her dance team, having squeaked into third place in the preliminary round, finally qualify for a spot in the finals. But that just sends Miss Carina, the gray-haired, tightly-coiffed founder of Moondance studio, into a tailspin.

All ribs and collar bone, right foot turned out in fourth position and tapping impatiently, Miss Carina tells the disbelieving girls she's reworking the entire dance to better their chance of winning the Star Struck championship.

Jasmine suspects it's less about what's best for the team and more about Miss Carina trumping Miss Brandi and the InMotion studio. Rumour has it that years ago the two women once danced together and then a rivalry erupted that still consumes Miss Carina. Driving her dancers with daunting warm-ups and endless changes to the choreography, she appears blind to the mounting rivalries and distrust brewing between the girls.

For Jasmine, the joy-the "air filling her lungs";-goes out of dancing and she comes close to quitting. But, prodded by her Russian grandmother, Jasmine dares to reclaim that joy and, suddenly, winning the championship is a tantalizing possibility.

Other Limelights books include Big Time by Tom Ryan and Cut the Lights by Karen Krossing.

Warm 9781459804289

[by Louise Donnelly, who writes her column from Vernon]

[BCBW 2014]