dancergirl

Gr 9 Up—Dancing is Ali's passion. She takes classes and works at the studio in her Brooklyn neighborhood. She hopes to perform professionally one day, and her goals suddenly seem more attainable after a film student posts a video of her dancing on a public video-hosting site. Initially, the attention Ali receives is flattering as fellow classmates and strangers become interested in the fictitious story line of dancergirl and Shyboy101. However, Ali starts to sense that she is being watched, and her paranoia turns out to be reality when she discovers a video camera dangling outside her bedroom window. Suddenly, Ali's reputation is ruined as people begin labeling her a show-off and a slut. As she and her friends work to uncover the source of this illicit video, they discover that a potentially dangerous stalker is living near her. The book takes off immediately with a suspenseful and creepy prologue. Several mysteries throughout the story help develop the main characters and maintain the suspense. Secondary figures are stereotypical and remain one-dimensional but serve their purpose of propelling the plot forward. As the novel reaches its climax, though, it stretches believability as the teens take crime fighting into their own hands in a pseudo-Scooby-Doo fashion. Despite these minor flaws, this is a compulsive read with important messages about online exposure and privacy. Dancers and fans of chick lit and mysteries will want to clear their calendars once they start reading.—Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD