This image is the cover for the book Turning

Turning

As the Soviet Union crumbles, one ballerina dreams of Paris

It is 1991, and revolution is coming to the Soviet Union, but in Leningrad, life goes on as it always has. Food is scarce and luxuries are few, but for a young dancer named Tanya, life is a beautiful dream. She dances all day and all night, performing on the stage of the greatest theater in Russia. Her family has sacrificed everything for her dream, and their efforts are finally paying off. Soon the company will tour Europe, and Tanya will see Paris—a city so beautiful that she has begun to contemplate the unthinkable: leaving the Soviet Union forever.

Paris offers a chance for defection, which would mean saying good-bye to her family. But as the group prepares for the trip, politics and romance tempt her to stay in Leningrad. Soon Tanya must choose her path. Does her future lie in Paris—or in a new Russia?

Gloria Whelan

<p>Gloria Whelan is the bestselling author of many novels for young readers, including <em>Homeless Bird</em>, winner of the National Book Award; <em>Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect</em>; <em>Angel on the Square</em>; <em>Burying the Sun</em>; <em>Once on This Island</em>, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; and <em>Return to the Island</em>. She lives in the woods of northern Michigan.</p>

Open Road Integrated Media