Last Dance

A girl’s dream of a ballet career is disrupted by a frightening diagnosis in this novel by the national bestselling author of Don’t Die, My Love. . .

At age thirteen, after years of lessons and practice, Rachel Deering is already a highly skilled dancer who shows great promise—and she’s staying on her toes because her dream is to become a world-class professional ballerina. But just as she’s preparing for an important audition for an opening with a prestigious dance troupe, Rachel starts having some very disturbing symptoms.

After collapsing in ballet class, she undergoes a series of tests and her doctor tells her the news: She has Type 1 diabetes. Now her world consists of twice-a-day insulin shots, a carefully controlled diet, and constant fear that she will have a reaction and end up unable to dance—or worse. And through it all, she can’t help wondering why life is so unfair . . .

Praise for Lurlene McDaniel’s novels

“Touching scenes abound.”—Booklist

“McDaniel shows her literary expertise by humanizing a terrible disease and guiding readers through the whole process . . . Just make sure there are tissues nearby.” —School Library Journal

“Over the course of decades and dozens of books, [McDaniel]’s taught her readers compassion and given them hope, which is something people could use at any age.” —The Washington Post

Previously published as Will I Ever Dance Again?