Aya is eleven years old and has just arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. When Aya stumbles across a local ballet class, the formidable dance teacher spots her exceptional talent and believes that Aya has the potential to earn a prestigious ballet scholarship. But at the same time, Aya and her family must fight to be allowed to remain in the country, to make a home for themselves and to find Aya's father - separated from the rest of the family during the journey from Syria. With beautiful, captivating writing, wonderfully authentic ballet detail, and an important message championing the rights of refugees, this is classic storytelling - filled with warmth, hope and humanity.

"Bruton has done her research and used her imagination, as good fiction writers are wont to do, to come up with a moving, textured story[...] a Ballet Shoes for the 21st century." - Alex O'Connell, The Times

"A perfect balance of tragedy and triumph" - Natasha Farrant, author of The Children of Castle Rock

"A gem of a book." - Natasha Harding, Children's Book of the Week, The Sun

"Wise and kind and unputdownable." - Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks War

Auteur

Catherine Bruton studied English at Oxford University and has been juggling life as a teacher, children's author and mum for the past fifteen years. As an English teacher at King Edward's School, Bath, she sees first hand the impact stories can have on young readers - opening their eyes, expanding their horizons, making them ask questions and see the world differently. Her books tackle some of the big issues faced by young people today - terrorism, immigration, the cult of celebrity, the refugee crisis - in ways that are heart-breaking, often hilarious, but invariably hopeful. Her multi-award nominated debut 'We Can Be Heroes' was recently made into a film starring Alison Steadman and Phil Davies and, as an 'extra' on the film set, Catherine got to realise her a lifelong dream when she actually got to spend a day living in one of her own stories! As her alter-ego Cate Shearwater, she is also the author of the much-loved 'Somersaults and Dreams' series.