When the Stars Go Blue

Winner of an International Latino Book Award, When the Stars Go Blue is a contemporary interpretation of Bizet's Carmen in which the fiery gypsy is reinvented as a modern-day dancer, torn between the attentions of an intense, disciplined music prodigy and a flamboyant soccer player.

Dance is Soledad Reyes's life. About to graduate from Miami's Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 11/23/2010
ISBN: 9780312650049
Pages: 324
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.80d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2010
Romantic Times 12/01/2010 pg. 51 - Excellent
Booklist 11/15/2010 pg. 45
Voice of Youth Advocates 02/01/2011 - Recommended - Readable
School Library Journal 06/01/2011 pg. 116

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 141908 / When the Stars Go Blue
Reading Level: 5.8 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 13