Rachel and her sister Hilary are left as orphans, and they have to live with their Aunt Cora who runs a dancing school. Hilary likes dancing, but Rachel is terrible at it. Rachel is determined that Hilary ought to learn proper ballet and be admitted to the Royal Ballet School someday, but Hilary just wants to goof around with her friends in tap class. The star of the dancing school is their cousin Dulcie who is spoiled rotten and makes their lives miserable. Rachel wishes that she could convince Hilary to outshine everyone with her ballet skills, maybe then Dulcie would realize that she's not the only star of the show.

I love this sweet story! There are so many layers to the characters, and Rachel is especially complex. She is always misunderstood and pushed into the background because she is quiet and reserved. It's really interesting to see how she interacts with people who take the time to get to know her better, and they discover that she is intelligent and kind and very talented in her own way!