A Dance of Sisters

Rating:
Summary: Share This "Dance"
Review: "A Dance of Sisters" is a poignant look at one girl's somewhat estranged family and her newfound passion for ballet. After the death of their mother, two sisters become closer, with the younger sister looking up to her older sister more than words can express. Their father, though he loves his daughters, becomes more distant as he grieves for his wife, removes her pictures from the house walls, and throws himself into his thriving business.

Fast-forward years later: The younger sister, Delia, is in middle school. She's a good girl, but doesn't have any notable hobbies - except for dancing. Suddenly, the local mainstream dance school with its yearly corny recitals are not satisfying enough for her, and she decides to pursue ballet exclusively. She enrolls at a prestigious school taught by a Madame who strictly adheres to the classic type of ballet instruction. As Delia's love for ballet deepens, she starts having her own life - and her own secrets.

Meanwhile, Delia's older sister is getting kicked out of school after school due to her behavior. She is not a felon nor a threat to anyone, simply a free spirit who does not want to conform. She dresses in dark clothes that she reshapes and redesigns. She dyes her blonde hair black. She truly cares for her little sister, and still loves her father, but she too has distanced herself from her family, feeling as if she is the only one who truly remembers her mother. Sent off to a new school, she expects nothing, but surprises herself and everyone else when she ends up with a new interest - taming a horse that was said to be untameable.

I recommend this book to a wide audience. This book is not just about ballet, nor solely about parents and children grieving over a loss, but rather about honoring those memories while making new ones. Each character finds something he or she is passionate about. The dynamic between the characters is realistic and the plot is interesting and familiar without being cliché. You will root for this family to come back together, and you will want each person to become stronger in his or her own way.

Rating:
Summary: Tackles many issues successfully
Review: A ballerina and her nonconformist sister forge bonds as they struggle to find a place in a world that includes suppressed memories of their mother, dead for ten years. The plot revolves primarily around dancer Delia and her hard work in an exclusive and competitive dance class. Delia's sister Pearl is revealed through her conversations with Delia and later through letters mailed from the boarding school for troubled girls that she attends.
Issues such as anorexia and dabbling with witchcraft blend with more mundane stresses such as sibling rivalry and getting along with Dad. Elements such as complex characters and psychological drama deepen the story and move it beyond the superficial. Although neither girl attains the goals they have set, they achieve other things and learn a great deal about themselves and one another in the process.
The book has certain appeal for dancers as well as to girls who enjoy problem novels. Additionally, the dance theme would make this an appropriate book for the 2003 Statewide Summer Reading Program theme of the Arts.

Rating:
Summary: Tackles many issues successfully
Review: A ballerina and her nonconformist sister forge bonds as they struggle to find a place in a world that includes suppressed memories of their mother, dead for ten years. The plot revolves primarily around dancer Delia and her hard work in an exclusive and competitive dance class. Delia's sister Pearl is revealed through her conversations with Delia and later through letters mailed from the boarding school for troubled girls that she attends.
Issues such as anorexia and dabbling with witchcraft blend with more mundane stresses such as sibling rivalry and getting along with Dad. Elements such as complex characters and psychological drama deepen the story and move it beyond the superficial. Although neither girl attains the goals they have set, they achieve other things and learn a great deal about themselves and one another in the process.
The book has certain appeal for dancers as well as to girls who enjoy problem novels. Additionally, the dance theme would make this an appropriate book for the 2003 Statewide Summer Reading Program theme of the Arts.

Rating:
Summary: A Dance of Sisters is A Terrific Book
Review: This was a great book which shows what you may have to go through to become a top ballet dancer. It's about Pearl and Delia, two sisters who are very close. When they were very young, their mother died and left their dad to raise them. Pearl becomes a strange, eerie person who seems to think life would only be worth living if her mother was alive, so she gets sent to boarding school by her father. Delia, however, misses her sister very much, but has found her spot in the world of ballet dancing. She had been taking classes at the Elanova School of Ballet, a prestigous dance school. Soon after two months of dancing there Delia was picked to be taught by Madame Elanova, the head directer and teacher. Delia enjoys dancing, but it was taking a huge toll on her life. She lost too much weight, she got sick, and every spare moment she had was filled with dancing. She realizes at the end that she cannot put up with ballet and feels like she dosn't need it in her life. Read the book to find out what happens in the end!