Taking Flight

From War Orphan to Star Ballerina

Author: Michaela Deprince, Elaine Deprince and Allyson Johnson

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Description

Michaela DePrince was known as girl no. 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a devil child for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life. At the age of four, Michaela was adopted by an American family, who encouraged her love of dancing and enrolled her in classes. She went on to study at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre and now dances for the Dutch National Ballet. In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela shares her dramatic journey from an orphan in West Africa to becoming one of ballet's most exciting rising stars.

Critic Reviews

“There is plenty of ballet detail for dance lovers to revel in, and the authors achieve a believable, distinctive teenage voice with a nice touch of lyrical description.”

-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review"

About the Author

Michaela DePrince is a Sierra Leonean American ballet dancer. She has appeared in the ballet documentary First Position, as well as on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, and Nightline. Besides dancing, Michaela loves reaching out to disadvantaged young people, with whom she shares her message of hard work, perseverance, hope, and striving for a dream. Elaine DePrince has coauthored several books with her daughter, renowned ballet dancer Michaela DePrince, including Ballerina Dreams and Hope in a Ballet Shoe. Allyson Johnson is an actress and singer who began performing at age twelve as coanchor of Bubble Gum Digest, for which she won an Emmy. After earning a degree in psychology from Brown University, she moved to New York where she became a social worker before shifting to a career in television and radio. Johnson has recorded countless commercials, promos, audiobooks, narrations, and animation series.