Please help me remember this ballet book!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

I can't remember if it's a stand-alone book or a short story. If it's a series I've definitely only read the one. I might be getting a few stories mixed up though. It's not Veronica/Sebastien, Drina or the Moth ones.

It's about a little girl who goes to stay with her aunt who's a wardrobe mistress while her mum's in hospital - she's having a baby but is in for quite a while. At first she has to hide in all the costumes because her aunt hadn't told the fireman she's staying there. She's very homesick too.

She meets the prima ballerina and makes friends with some little girls there who are going to dance in the show (maybe the Nutcracker, so Christmas time? I'm not positive there though.) I think one twists her ankle and she ends up dancing instead. The ballerina gives her a good luck card and it slips out of her dress at the end and she has to do a curtesy to pick it up.

I think it ends with her dad coming to pick her up and she doesn't want to leave. Then she goes home to meet her new baby brother.

Does anybody know?

[SnowyDeer]

I think that may be Angelina Ballerina?

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Maybe - google is only bringing up the mouse when I try that! You can't remember an author can you?

I think somebody had a cat too, called Mr Softpaws or something? It's all a bit vague!

[FirstworldprobIems]

Angelina ballerina is a mouse...?

[FirstworldprobIems]

Oh sorry, just seen you already said that haha.

[Witchend]

No it's Lucy Jane at the Ballet.
Lovely books with beautiful illustrations.
Mum's having a baby which is why she's there-I don't recall her being homesick though. She accidently ends up auditioning with the children and is given the part of the understudy.

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

That's it, thank you! I thought the title was a name, but wasn't sure what it was.

I thought at the beginning she didn't want to stay, then at the end didn't want to leave. I'll have to see if I can find my copy in the loft!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

There's a Lucy Jane on Television too apparently - I'll have to see if I can find a copy.