Marie's Nutcracker

Marie's Nutcracker is a new young-adult novel by up-and-coming author Margaret Marie Klenzing. It is fully illustrated with nineteen original drawings by Rori Alexander.

Marie's Nutcracker tells the charming story of a seventeen-year-old dancer on the cusp of becoming a professional ballerina. Marie is a good dancer, one of the best in her local dance studio. Yet she often feels insecure, particularly around Jasmine, a self-centered prima donna who has the starring role in the yearly production of the Nutcracker. Surprisingly, a Hollywood movie company comes to town to film its own production of the Nutcracker at the local mall. Many dance school students, including Marie, are hired as extras for the film and are delighted to be cast. During filming, Marie bonds with Whitney, a teenage popstar hired to sing in the film production of the Nutcracker. As friends, they find a path toward reinforcing the love of their art.

Exciting behind the scene action with many new twists and turns make Marie's Nutcracker relevant to today's teenagers. It is written for general audiences and contains no strong language or sexual situations. Fun and enjoyable and focused on dance.