First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2009 HarperCollins Children’s Books A division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 77–85 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith London W6 8JB
Text copyright © HarperCollins Children’s Books 2009 Illustrations copyright © HarperCollins Children’s Books 2009
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Source ISBN: 9780007323227
Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007509287
Version: 2014-11-20
Welcome to the world of Enchantia!
I have always loved to dance. The captivating music and wonderful stories of ballet are so inspiring. So come with me and let’s follow Holly on her magical adventures in Enchantia, where the stories of dance will take you on a very special journey.
p.s. Turn to the back to learn a special dance step from me…
To Phoebe and Zoe, as they are the inspirationbehind Magic Ballerina.
Table of Contents
In the soft, pale light, the girl stood with her head bent and her hands held lightly in front of her. There was a moment’s silence and then the first notes of the music began. For as long as the girl could remember music had seemed to tell her of another world – a magical, exciting world – that lay far, far away. She always felt if she could just close her eyes and lose herself, then she would get there. Maybe this time. As the music swirled inside her, she swept her arms above her head, rose on to her toes and began to dance…
Holly Wilde skipped down the steps of her ballet school. Twirling around, she thought about the class she had just finished. Her teacher, Madame Za-Za, had been teaching them to dance like baby swans. They were holding an open day for parents and that was the dance Holly’s class were going to be performing.
Feeling happy, Holly danced a few of the steps. As she moved forward, stepping first on to one leg and then the other, a picture of her mum doing the same dance up on her pointes a few years ago came into her mind. Holly’s happiness ebbed away slightly. Her parents, who were divorced, both worked for different ballet companies, which meant they were away travelling a lot. Holly had come to live with her aunt and uncle.
It had been hard at first, but it had helped that an amazing thing had happened to her. She’d been given a pair of red ballet shoes that were magic! They had the power to whisk her away to Enchantia – a land