Misty Copeland

Pirouette across the stage and get to know Misty Copeland—the first African-American woman to become a principal ballerina with the American Ballet Theater—in this fascinating, nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a new series of biographies about people “you should meet.”

Misty Copeland had always dreamed of becoming a dancer, but she had many obstacles to overcome before she could reach her dream. Although she was always challenged by the things that set her apart from other dancers, with a lot of hard work, dedication, and exceptional talent, Misty has become one of the most well-known dancers in America.

On June 30, 2015 Misty stepped on stage as the first female African-American principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater and made history!

A special section at the back of the book includes extras on subjects like history and math, plus a fun timeline filled with interesting trivia facts about dance. With the You Should Meet series, learning about historical figures has never been so fascinating!

Laurie Calkhoven is the author of many books, including?George Washington: An American Life?and?Harriet Tubman: Leading the Way to Freedom. She lives in New York City. Visit her at LaurieCalkhoven.com.

Monique Dong studied to become an animator, but soon realized she had a love for illustrating children’s books and has been following that dream ever since. Born in South Africa, she now lives in China with her husband.