This is a charming, smartly written book that chronicles the Paris adventure of 17-year-old Mia Jenrow, an American studying in an intensive ballet summer program in Paris.

Mia has always known she’s destined to be a professional ballerina. In fact, it’s in her blood — according to family legend, her too-many-greats-to-count-grandmother once danced for the Paris Opera and was painted by Degas himself! Her parents say it’s just a fantasy, but to Mia it’s so much more than that. It’s her fate.

In the summer program, she is chosen to be Odile the black swan in “Swan Lake” and her rival Audrey is chosen as the white swan queen. Then, Mia meets Louis, a handsome French boy who is the son of her ballet master and they keep their relationship a secret. Mia is trying to solve a mystery. She believes her great great great grandmother was a French ballerina portrayed in a Degas painting. She and Louis set out to solve the mystery, while Mia and her rival Audrey, who becomes her friend, practice hard for the performance of “Swan Lake.” The apprentice program directors will be watching the performance and recruiting for ballet companies.

This is a Paris travelogue and an emotionally driven novel of young love and ambition set in the City of Lights. (SD-Agencies)