When the Stars Go Blue

Winner of an International Latino Book Award, When the Stars Go Blue is a contemporary interpretation of Bizet's Carmen in which the fiery gypsy is reinvented as a modern-day dancer, torn between the attentions of an intense, disciplined music prodigy and a flamboyant soccer player.

Dance is Soledad Reyes's life. About to graduate from Miami's Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

Author: Caridad Ferrer
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 11/23/2010
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780312650049

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.8
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 141908 / When the Stars Go Blue


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2010
Romantic Times 12/01/2010 pg. 51 - Excellent
Booklist 11/15/2010 pg. 45
Voice of Youth Advocates 02/01/2011 - Recommended - Readable
School Library Journal 06/01/2011 pg. 116

About the Author

Caridad Ferrer is a winner of the RITA and International Latino Book Award. She is the author of Adiós to My Old Life and It's Not About the Accent. Ferrer was a drum major in high school and a member of the drum and bugle corps for three years. She lives with her family near Seattle, Washington.