The first thing I noticed in my copy of Dance Class Volume 12: The New Girl by BeKa was that several speaking bubbles were empty. I can only assume that this is due to reading this as
an e-galley directly from the publisher’s newsletter and therefore, not a finished copy. Because of this, I was not overly thrilled with the plot. However, the 3 comes from the potential of what I was able to read.
I think reading the previous volumes of the series would have helped me understand “who is who” and “what is what.” There are several people you are following, but without background, it can be awkward. Yet, I was able to find my way,
but a reader aged 8 to 10 might not be as lucky when jumping “into the middle of things.” The different girls, plus a new girl called Maya, dance, make mistakes, have parent issues and there is a giant pumpkin (part of the speech bubbles with missing text). We know the story; we know these people. Heck we might even be one of them.
The feeling I get from what I was able to read is a combination of the humor of Nickelodeon/Toon Network and a hint of Sophie Labelle (not because of the subject matter, but the tone of the characters). However, two large “ehs” for me were first, at least two of the characters were less than likeable (they were a bit sarcastic and frankly, selfish) in a couple panels and second, while there is a little diversity within the dancers, overall, the characters are not a diverse cast.