Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker
Music
Boxes
by
Tonja Drecker
Genre:
Middle Grade Fantasy
“I
only desire your talent...”
Twelve-year-old
Lindsey McKay's biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after
moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a
teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.
When
she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who
offers her classes for free, Lindsey can't believe her luck. In
exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight
shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not
right...
One
by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box
with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame
Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the
truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine
herself.
**Music
Boxes was
recommended by The Barnes & Noble Kids Blog as one of the 5
Spooky New Middle Grade Books for Campfire Chills!!**
Lindsey hurried out to the middle of the floor, while the other dancers flew past. Being right in the middle of them was like being caught in a flock of exotic birds. The girls wore sparkling costumes, and some of the guys wore capes—debonair. Lindsey’s snow boots, thick winter coat, scarf, and hat made her a clumsy, overly rounded snowball.
Darting back to Madame Destinée, she struggled to pull off her scarf.
“Is there a problem, darling?”
“Nope.” She tossed the scarf to the side and jerked off her boots, letting them plop to the floor with a pair of thuds. Then, she went back out to the floor. One minute. That’s all she needed. She’d dance, and Mom would never know.
Letting the music take over, her feet moved as light as fluttering butterfly wings. Allegro. On the far end of the studio, she balanced up on one leg to extend into an arabesque. Except her jeans refused to stretch. Fighting back frustration, she went from 2nd position into 5th and révèle for what would hopefully be a pirouette. As she swung around, the girl in red soared right at her. Lindsey stumbled backward to avoid a collision and plopped down onto her backside with a loud thump.
The whole floor vibrated. Everyone stopped and stared. Lindsey glanced over at her boots and scarf, wanting to crawl under them, hide, and pretend she wasn’t there.
Madame Destinée cleared her throat. “Darling, I’m afraid this won’t do.”
Heat burned Lindsey’s face as she pulled herself up from the floor. Ugh. It wasn’t even her fault. But by the looks on everyone’s faces, nobody cared. She should have never agreed to come inside. She did not belong there.
“Come back tomorrow, and we’ll try again.” With a flick of the wrist, Madame Destinée shooed the dancers back into motion. But the girl in red stood there a second longer with her lips curled into a vicious grin.
Darting back to Madame Destinée, she struggled to pull off her scarf.
“Is there a problem, darling?”
“Nope.” She tossed the scarf to the side and jerked off her boots, letting them plop to the floor with a pair of thuds. Then, she went back out to the floor. One minute. That’s all she needed. She’d dance, and Mom would never know.
Letting the music take over, her feet moved as light as fluttering butterfly wings. Allegro. On the far end of the studio, she balanced up on one leg to extend into an arabesque. Except her jeans refused to stretch. Fighting back frustration, she went from 2nd position into 5th and révèle for what would hopefully be a pirouette. As she swung around, the girl in red soared right at her. Lindsey stumbled backward to avoid a collision and plopped down onto her backside with a loud thump.
The whole floor vibrated. Everyone stopped and stared. Lindsey glanced over at her boots and scarf, wanting to crawl under them, hide, and pretend she wasn’t there.
Madame Destinée cleared her throat. “Darling, I’m afraid this won’t do.”
Heat burned Lindsey’s face as she pulled herself up from the floor. Ugh. It wasn’t even her fault. But by the looks on everyone’s faces, nobody cared. She should have never agreed to come inside. She did not belong there.
“Come back tomorrow, and we’ll try again.” With a flick of the wrist, Madame Destinée shooed the dancers back into motion. But the girl in red stood there a second longer with her lips curled into a vicious grin.
**Now
available in audiobook!!**
After
finishing her BA in International Studies at the University of
Denver, Tonja Drecker spent many years in Europe devouring chocolate,
cheese and wine while investigating the birth places of myths,
legends and mysterious tales.
Currently
residing somewhere in the back woods of the Ozarks, she writes away
while tending to chickens, cows and her family of six. Her stories
have been published in several collections and magazines including In
the Shadow of the Eagle's Eye in REAL GIRLS DON'T RUST (Spencer Hill
Press, 2013), A GLOWWORM (Black and White Publishing Company, 2017)
and Meringue, Murder and Marzipan in FULL DARK (Obsidian Books, 2017)
. She's an avid book reader, professional children's book reviewer,
outdoor addict and always in search of a new adventure (based in
reality, the imagination, or otherwise).
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I think the cover is wonderful. I love music boxes.
ReplyDeleteAw! Thanks so much :)
DeleteThank you for having Music Boxes on here today...so sweet of you!
ReplyDeleteCute cover
ReplyDeleteThe book seems creepy, but it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteVery cool concept with the music boxes. Like the possibility of a supernatural aspect.
ReplyDelete