Aside from family and school, Ballet was the only thing that mattered to Clarice Jones. Ever since she was a child, it was her dream to get into Juliard and all her life she has been dedicated into making that happen. Now at her senior year, Clarice has been training harder than ever, not letting anything or anyone get in her way, not even Liam Frey, the captain of the football team, the boy who can make every girl swoon and also the boy with a very bad reputation. When the two fight over the last almond joy bar in the school's vending machine, Clarice immediately hates the thought of him. But Clarice has been getting sicker, causing her parents to bring her to a doctor, only to find out she has cancer. Now, her parents hinder her from ballet and push her to have weekly check-ups with her doctor who also happens to be Liam's mother. With her sickness catching up to her and graduation nearing, she still pushes herself to get into Juliard, ignoring the cancer but most of all ignoring Liam Frey.

"In life, as in the dance, grace glides on blistered feet" The life of a ballerina isn't easy, it is an emotional and physical struggle. As much as it hurts, it's something I'm passionate about. But the reasons might not be clear to a few. Contest Entry for Ellen Hopkins.

Arabella Esme Graham is the unnoticed nerdy, loner at school. She has no friends, no one talks to her, much less looks at her. It could be worse though. She could be bullied, tormented, teased. But she's not. She also has a passion for dancing. Nobody knows that she dances except for her family. She goes to a private dance studio that her mom runs called Graham's School of Dance. But what happens when her mom, the very woman that taught her to dance, dies? Or the fact that she repeatedly runs into the school's star Quarterback? Not to mention her dad is encouraging her to dance again and the school's talent show is coming up. Read to find out what happens in Arabella's crazy life.

If it has anything to do with dancing, Ella Ford has been there and done that. She's a National Champion, so saying that 'dance is her life' is an understatement. But when an accident takes away the use of one of her limbs, Ella's not sure how to cope. In one heartbeat, her life goes from normal to completely unpredictable...

Arabella threw herself into ballet when she lost her mom. Her whole life revolves around dance and she will do anything to be skinny and succeed. She is completely focused until a new guy shows up in town with an amazing accent and a kind heart. She has told herself over and over again that she's not allowed to date, but she can't help getting close to him. When Arabella has a flashback of a memory of her mom, she carves it into a tree outside her room to make sure she never forgets it. The flashbacks of her mom both keep her going and hold her back, ballet gets more intense every day, she eats less and less, and her feelings for the boy get stronger. How much can one girl take before she reaches her breaking point?