She Came Back Different

By Stephanie Willing

Underneath the beautiful world of ballet lurks the dark side of perfectionism in this eerie tale

The Stadler Ballet Conservatory prides itself on turning out not only perfect dancers but perfect pupils. Perhaps too perfect.

Gemma has been sent by her demanding mother in the hopes that her "rough edges" will be smoothed. But the life of a ballerina feels so far out of reach, she hardly dares to dream of it. Neve, on the other hand, is there on a rescue mission. Her once rebellious older sister returned from Stadler as a smiling, empty shell of her former self. If there are answers, Neve will find them.

In a tale alternating between their perspectives, both girls must brave a world of rules and conformity. One in which beauty hides a hideous and sinister truth that will devour their very souls if they cannot overcome their differences. Can they embrace each other's flaws and their own in order to dig up the school's rotten roots and unmask what's really growing . . . and feeding . . . behind Stadler's walls?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593465601
• ISBN13: 9780593465608
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7