Dancergirl 
by Carol M. Tanzman

Published November 15th 2011
248 Pages

A friend posted a video of me dancing online and now I'm no longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl—and suddenly it's like me against the world—everyone's got opinions.
My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he's acting weird. And some stranger isn't content to just watch anymore.
Ali, dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose more than just my love of dancing.
I could lose my life.

Why I Picked This Up: HarlequinTEEN for review! I'll read any of their books! They are all fantastic!

Why You Should Read It: An interesting take on internet fame and stalking! A great and realistic lead character with a sweet romantic interest.

"The sick feeling that someone's staring at me. Only I'm not on the subway. Or the bus. Or even a park bench. I'm in my bedroom. Alone." A creepy beginning prologue. I was hooked from the very start. Ali Ruffino loves to dance and one day even dreams of Julliard or a career in dance. So when her film buff friend Charlie takes some footage of her dancing at a party and posts it onto Zube she decides to go with it. A little fame and recognition for her dancing can't be so bad, can it? Then after 50,000 hits Charlie still wants to keep up the internet sensation story line. He plays shyboy who is watching dancergirl from a far.

Fame has brought on more than Ali bargained for. Everyone is talking about her, whispering around school, recognizing her on the street and putting in their opinions. Even assuming the most horrible things about her. "My friends and I think you're a bitch. You should leave a message for shyboy, tell him you want to meet." She decides to put an end to the videos but when another video ends up on Zube, one where she is in her underwear, in her bedroom, where no one should have been filming her, Ali begins to realize someone must be stalking her. But who could it be? Charlie with a grudge since she told him no more videos? Her best friend Jacy developing deeper feelings for her? Pot head Luke Sorezzi who is trying to date her? The angry girls at her dance school or their creepy boyfriends?

A close, intriguing and real look at internet fame. How someone can deal with thousands of people talking about your looks, your personality, who you might be dating or blowing off, your every move without ever even meeting you. Ali has to deal with the crippling and creepy feeling of constantly being watched. She doesn't know if it is paranoia or her imagination but she can't escape the feeling. Her best friend Jacy has been distant. He won't tell her what is going on with him so she feels extremely alone. Jacy was a sweet and wonderful best friend character. Going through some extreme life difficulties he does end up being there for Ali. I love when a love interest is a real and sweet guy. No angsty bad boy here. I was rooting for him all along.

When Ali finally discovers a camera hidden in her alarm clock she knows someone is taking their dancergirl obsession to a scary and dangerous new level. On a hunt for the truth, Ali slowly starts crossing suspects off her list. I loved that everyone was a true suspect. It took me awhile to figure it out. I was as shocked and creeped out as Ali. I will definitely keep any personal videos of myself off youtube! This book definitely made me see the scary side of the internet. But sometimes danger is closer to home...

"There she is-dancergirl. But she doesn't even notice me. To her, I'm invisible. Should I go up to her, say something? Not a chance! All I can do is watch from afar. Hoping that one day, she'll see me."

"That's when I understand why I dance. For some people, it's the only way to make sense of the past, to get to the meaning behind the present. To find your true self."

Rating 4/5 Video Cameras!