Magic Ballerina 20 – Jade and the Surprise Party

Darcey Bussell's Jade and the Surprise Party is a magical ballet story for 5 year olds about a secret birthday party that someone left off the guest list is determined to spoil.

What happens

Jade loves street dance. She's still getting used to ballet, but a pair of magic red shoes has changed everything. They can whisk her away to Enchantia, the land where all the characters from the ballets live.

Back home things aren't going so well. Jade has made up a dance with her partner Chloe in class, but she keeps rushing ahead and Chloe can't follow. Jade goes home cross, and a little bit guilty.

Then, halfway through reading her sisters a bedtime story, her shoes start to sparkle.

In Enchantia, the White Cat has a birthday today. It's the 29th of February, so the poor cat only gets a proper birthday once every four years! The Lilac Fairy is planning a huge surprise party at the Marshmallow Palace in the Land of Sweets. Jade's job is to keep the White Cat busy until five o'clock.

That sounds easy. It isn't. The White Cat bounds along so fast that Jade can hardly keep up (sound familiar?). And the one person who wasn't invited is very cross indeed.

There's a bit of gentle peril, with a spell and a tall dark tower. It's all sorted out with dancing, which is just how magic works in Enchantia.

Little ones who love ballet will enjoy spotting the real steps, like a pas de chat and an arabesque. And there's lots of sweet stuff too, with gingerbread children, a golden carriage and a palace made of marshmallow.

What's nice is how the story quietly mirrors Jade's own problem. Rushing ahead feels very different when you're the one being left behind. Plenty of children will recognise that.

At the very end there are a few simple steps to try at home, which is a lovely extra for little dancers who already twirl round the living room.

What to read next

This is the second of Jade's adventures in the series. If they want to go back to the very first time her shoes carried her away, try Jade and the enchanted wood.