(2) K-3 Although Stringer overplays the degree of collaboration between composer and choreographer, there's no doubt that they created something beautifully, brutally new in The Rite of Spring in 1913 Paris. Acrylic illustrations dance right along in a sweep of movement and color that owes as much to Matisse as to their own lively spirit. Notes about the ballet and Stringer's visual inspirations are appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(4) YA Vanessa enrolls in the New York Ballet Academy to investigate her sister's disappearance from the school. Frightening occurrences, suspicious staff and students, and more missing ballerinas--all cast as the Firebird, the role Vanessa is now rehearsing--point to a sinister supernatural power. Horror movie–style scares provide some thrills, but inconsistent internal logic and superficial characters make for an underwhelming dark fantasy.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) 4-6 Masters of Music series. Well-researched and clear, these books in five or six chapters relate biographical details of the composers' lives, emphasizing the circumstances surrounding their musical education and compositions. Photographs and reproductions illustrate chapters, which are interrupted by "FYInfo" pages that supply further cultural details of varying relevance. There are four other fall 2004 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Masters of Music titles: The Life and Times of Scott Joplin, The Life and Times of Hector Berlioz, The Life and Times of Igor Stravinsky, and The Life and Times of Richard Wagner.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian