Dancing on the Edge

Rating:
Summary: A Real Miracle
Review: The novel Dancing On The Edge, by Han Nolan, inspired me to think for myself and not let other people push me into activities that I don't enjoy. This novel features a young girl named Miracle McCloy who discovers that she controls her actions and not anyone else. Born and pulled alive from her dead mothers body, Miracle is truly a once in a lifetime miracle. Her mother died in an accident. Dancing On The Edge is an adventurous and exciting story containing many emotions including, grief, pleasure, rage, and confusion. In this inspiring novel we are taken through many extreme events that occur in Miracle's life. For example, when her father suddenly disappears one night; Miracle is told, by her Grandmother, to believe that her father has "melted". She is then forced into living with her psychic grandmother and many other family members who live with each other from house to house, who fight over her. Her Grandmother, Gigi works with and believes in the Ouija boards and being able to contact the dead from "the other side" and talk to them through Ouija boards, crystal balls and tarot cards. Later on Miracle attempts to "melt " herself by lighting candles in her fathers old drinking glasses and ends up severely burning her lower body. She believed that if she "melted "herself, she would be able to see her father again. If she could just melt herself maybe she wouldn't feel so emotionally and mentally alone. Miracle is then taken to a hospital to be treated for her wounds and slight emotional problems or insanity. Miracle finally realized that everything her Grandmother ever told her about anything is a lie thanks to her Aunt Casey. Her Aunt Casey then takes her to a mental institute, for her to vent all her pent up anger from being lied to about so many things over such a long time. There, a psychiatrist, and her loving and caring Aunt Casey help her to get a hold of her reality based emotional side and try to help her figure out what is really going on in her life at the moment. During the first few appointments Miracle didn't talk much but then she then slowly started to reveal family secrets to the Dr and Aunt Casey. Miracle told the doctor and her Aunt everything that Gigi ever said. She also told them the reasons why she tried to melt herself, which was so she would hopefully be able to see her father again. Miracle now slowly begins to recognize the truth about everything and that her grandmother was just telling lies all along. She realized that her entire life was basically one big web of lies that her grandmother created.
Dancing On The Edge taught to believe in myself and believe that I can do anything I put my mind to. This novel also taught me to think for myself and not let other people control my life all of the time. I think that the theme of this novel is, that you can't believe everything that everyone tells you, you have to think for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Miracle
Review: The novel Dancing On The Edge, by Han Nolan, inspired me to think for myself and not let other people push me into activities that I don't enjoy. This novel features a young girl named Miracle McCloy who discovers that she controls her actions and not anyone else. Born and pulled alive from her dead mothers body, Miracle is truly a once in a lifetime miracle. Her mother died in an accident. Dancing On The Edge is an adventurous and exciting story containing many emotions including, grief, pleasure, rage, and confusion. In this inspiring novel we are taken through many extreme events that occur in Miracle's life. For example, when her father suddenly disappears one night; Miracle is told, by her Grandmother, to believe that her father has "melted". She is then forced into living with her psychic grandmother and many other family members who live with each other from house to house, who fight over her. Her Grandmother, Gigi works with and believes in the Ouija boards and being able to contact the dead from "the other side" and talk to them through Ouija boards, crystal balls and tarot cards. Later on Miracle attempts to "melt " herself by lighting candles in her fathers old drinking glasses and ends up severely burning her lower body. She believed that if she "melted "herself, she would be able to see her father again. If she could just melt herself maybe she wouldn't feel so emotionally and mentally alone. Miracle is then taken to a hospital to be treated for her wounds and slight emotional problems or insanity. Miracle finally realized that everything her Grandmother ever told her about anything is a lie thanks to her Aunt Casey. Her Aunt Casey then takes her to a mental institute, for her to vent all her pent up anger from being lied to about so many things over such a long time. There, a psychiatrist, and her loving and caring Aunt Casey help her to get a hold of her reality based emotional side and try to help her figure out what is really going on in her life at the moment. During the first few appointments Miracle didn't talk much but then she then slowly started to reveal family secrets to the Dr and Aunt Casey. Miracle told the doctor and her Aunt everything that Gigi ever said. She also told them the reasons why she tried to melt herself, which was so she would hopefully be able to see her father again. Miracle now slowly begins to recognize the truth about everything and that her grandmother was just telling lies all along. She realized that her entire life was basically one big web of lies that her grandmother created.
Dancing On The Edge taught to believe in myself and believe that I can do anything I put my mind to. This novel also taught me to think for myself and not let other people control my life all of the time. I think that the theme of this novel is, that you can't believe everything that everyone tells you, you have to think for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical young adult novel ...
Review: The story of how selfish and bickering adults and their lies nearly destroy a girl's life. She was taken from the womb of her dead mother, and she believes that her missing father "melted away". Her world is one of guilt and illusions. She descends into insanity and sets herself on fire in an attempt to communicate with her missing father. Only after being placed in an institution does she begin to recover.

Rating:
Summary: unbelieveable and touching
Review: This book about Miracle's life is absolutely amazing. You get completely wrapped up into her life. This story touched me deeply and made me realize how lucky I was. This story has spunk and edge. It's one of those books you just can't put down. I've told all my friends about it. Some of them have even read it too! This book is great. Han Nolan is one of the best authors I know. This book is a definite winner!

Rating:
Summary: This is not the best book that I've read.
Review: This book is a book that mystery readers might enjoy. The plot is a little awkward. Miracle and her family are a little strange. If I had read more books like this, when I was younger, I might have enjoyed it a little bit more, and understood it a little better.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting book you should read
Review: This book is about a fascinating girl named Miracle. She was named Miracle because rumor was to believe that she was born from her mother, who was hit by an ambulance, and gave birth from a dead body. Her grandmother, Gigi, a psychic, taught her to believe in auras and mystical spirits. Then, out of nowhere, her father suddenly disappeared, or shall I say, "melted."
Miracle and Gigi moved to her Granddaddy Opal house because they weren't accepted among people. They thought they would melt if they trusted them.
Miracle then starts to find out what had happened to her father. She tries to figure out the pieces of information of what had happened. She once "burned" herself trying to figure it out. She landed in the hospital where a doctor tried to force her to learn more about the truth about her self. The more she tries, the more she loses herself into it. This book is a very sad but fun to read book. Its a book that will want you to read it over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!!
Review: This book is so wonderful!!! I feel like it was written just for me- you will probley feel that way too, once you read it. It's all about feelings, and about fantasys vs the truth. Miricle lives in a fantasy spirtal world, full of seances and superstitions. This is exspecially the book for you if someone in your life has left you, or if you've ever felt like you could tumble off the edge of life. After you read this book you will look at everything in a whole new way. Those in despair- it will help you reach the light!

Rating:
Summary: Started out kinda dull, but got much better
Review: This book was about a girl who lived with her grandmother, who believed in the super natural. The plot is kind of hard to explain, so I can't really summarize it that well, but the beginning was pretty boring, and there wasn't much going on. After the girl was admitted to the hospital though, it got much better, and the things she started remembering were really neat. I felt really sorry for the girl, and kind of related to her, so it was fun to read. I don't think it's as good as Nolan's A Face in Every Window, though. I would still recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking!
Review: This book was amazing. When I read it, it was far from the books I normally read, but after I read it, I fell in love with it! It keeps you on the edge of your seat, yet at times makes you want to cry because it is so dramatic. In short, I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Every young girl (& any boy who knows one) should read this!
Review: This book was one of the best books I've ever read - and I'm in my 40's! It is the story of Miracle, a young girl whose unusual birth - being pulled from the body of her mother, just killed in an accident - gives her an impossible legend to live up to. Later abandoned by her father, she is raised by her superstitious grandmother, who loves her but smothers Miracle's personality in her own eccentricities. When Miracle goes through therapy after setting herself on fire, she is forced to identify what is real and what is not. I have never read a book which so clearly describes the sense of going crazy which I felt as a young teenager, and which I know many other teens experience as well. It was painful to read but impossible to put down - like a mirror held in front of me to reveal my most miserable times. If I had had such a book when I was 13 or 14, I might not have felt so alone in my misery. I bought a copy for my newborn daughter to read in 13 years or so, when she will need it.