Winter of 8th repeat
Plot
Jessi auditioned for a special "Winter Session" at a prestigious ballet program in New York several months ago. She gets a letter that she GOT IN! She arranges to stay with Aunt Cecilia's son and daughter-in-law, and off she goes to New York for three weeks! She is so excited, but of course Mallory goes into a depression and Becca becomes an unholy terror, all because Jessi is going to be gone for less than a month.
The ballet class is amazing, and Jessi is a standout from the beginning. She meets a bunch of friends and feels so at home there. She loves the city. Quint, her kind of boyfriend from the first time she visited New York, is there and still likes her, but she tells him they can only be friends and he's fine with that. Everything is going so amazing, she almost forgets about Stoneybrook at all.
Mallory comes to visit once, but it's kind of awkward and Jessi is almost relieved when she goes back home. All of the other ballerinas start getting offers to stay for another three weeks, but Jessi doesn't. She is confused, but thinks maybe it's just because she's so young.
At the end of the session, there is a special event where her parents and aunt come to see her perform. She is supposed to go home with them after that, and back in Stoneybrook Becca and Mallory plan a welcome back party. However, after her performance she is asked to stay one more night so she can audition for a permanent position in this school. She stays, and Becca/Mallory are fucking pissed.
She, of course, gets an offer, but is told it will be there whenever she wants it. Jessi decides she will take it, but not right now - she wants to finish middle school maybe, and just be with her family for awhile longer.
There is no subplot except Becca and Mallory are little bitches.
Takeaways
Jessi is ELEVEN. ELEVEN. But somehow she has to break up with a guy twice because she is not ready for a boyfriend. Which of course she's not. Because she's ELEVEN.
She was only gone three weeks, but Becca and Mallory seriously act like she has moved to New York. Like they get super pissed because she doesn't want to come home every weekend that she is gone.
Jessi makes a comment that all of her new friends are black and she feels so at home with them. I bet it was such a culture shock for her to move from an all black neighborhood to an all white neighborhood. I feel bad for her.
And finally - I kind of wish she would have taken the spot at the school. I know she's only ELEVEN, but also this is her dream. She would be guaranteed to be a professional dancer had she gone there.
Best Character
Jessi is pretty adorable in this book, so she wins.
Worst Character
I would say Mallory because she's a pouty b through this whole book, but Becca is an actual little bitch so she wins.
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