“UP TO THIS POINTE,” by Jennifer Longo, Random House Books for Young Readers, Jan. 19, 2016, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Harper Scott has a plan — she and her best friend, Kate, are going to become professional ballerinas with the San Francisco Ballet. The plan is iron clad. They’ve worked toward this goal since they were little. There’s no backup, and come January, they’ll audition and get in.
Except that’s not what happens. And without a Plan B, Harper runs for the first opportunity she sees: Antarctica. Antarctica isn’t quite as wild a stretch as you might think. Harper is a Scott. She’s related to Robert Falcon Scott, the explorer who died racing Amundsen and Shackleton to the South Pole. Antarctica is in her blood, or so she tells herself.
Harper uses her connections and some well-placed lies to land one of three spots allowed to high school students at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Other than her legacy last name, no one can quite figure out how or why Harper is selected, and for a long time, Harper herself can’t figure out why she’s exiled herself to the land of darkness. It’s not until Harper gets a number of visits from Shackleton’s ghost — the explorer who didn’t make it to the South Pole, but who got all of his men out alive — that Harper learns that failure isn’t always a bad thing.
“The thing about Antarctica that surprises me the most? The condoms. They’re absolutely everywhere.”
After reading this first paragraph in “Up to This Pointe,” I found myself wondering where the book was going and if I really wanted to read it. But seeing as how it was literally the first lines I read, I decided I should probably give the book more of a chance. I’m glad I did.
What initially drew me to “Up to This Pointe” was my love of ballet. Like Harper, I spent my youth planning for my future as a dancer. I had several scholarships, but when I arrived at college, it hit me that dancing could not be part of my long-term plans. I floundered for a bit before finding a new passion — writing.
While I specifically appreciate the dance setting, you don’t have to be a dancer to connect with Harper. The loss and confusion she experiences is common. We think we have things planned out, and then suddenly our plans aren’t even a possibility. That shared feeling of needing to start over is what carries “Up to This Pointe.”
Beyond the plot, “Up to this Pointe” is accessible and fairly quick moving. Author Jennifer Longo alternates between Harper’s present — Antarctica — and past — ballet world. This helps break up slower elements and each chapter pairing tends to enhance each other.
Sensitivity note: “Up to This Pointe” is a lot cleaner than I initially thought it would be. Harper is, however, in Antarctica for months with a population that is overwhelmingly male. Sex and drinking are explored, though not in excess or great detail.
