corinniebee's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
pawstoodream's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
taliaissmart's review against another edition
3.0
I had mixed feelings about this book. The writing itself wasn't bad, but I had a few issues with the content.
First of all, the bullying. This book takes place in California, a state with a very large Latino population. From the first few pages of the book, I could tell that the teasing factor was an exaggeration. It seems unlikely that Margie would be the only Hispanic kid in her class/grade that was good enough at speaking English that she didn't need to be in the separated bilingual class. And really, I'm sure there's some teasing, but I don't think that it would be such a huge deal. Margie whines constantly about how it took years for the teasing to stop, and with Lupe it would start all over again. So unrealistic.
Second: I don't think kids really stress out that much over working their butts off to become American. Margie said at one point that she had talked her mom into letting her get a PERM (at age 10?!?) so that she wouldn't stand out with her straight black hair. She obsesses over having an American Christmas, playing the same xmas CDs over and over again until she knows the words by heart. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything. I may be wrong (I am a white, teenage girl, born in the US) but I really think the pressure to immediately become an American was pretty overdone, at least for the 21st century. Kids nowadays are a whole lot more accepting of other cultures, especially in places like California.
All that being said, there were parts of the book that I really did like. I thought that Lupe's point of view was very well done (especially compared to Margie's.) The author did great job showing how her happiness and curiosity from being in a new place mixed with worry about how Margie might resent her (which she did, by the way). I liked Lupe a whole lot better than Margie.
I also really liked Camille, and how shocked Margie was when Camille revealed that her father's side of the family was Cuban:
Way to tell her off, Camille. That girl needed to be taken down a notch.
The author also threw in some great passages about the American way of life, including my personal favorite:
Yep, that's America. Life in the fastlane, always.
Judging from the cover, I had expected dancing to play a somewhat larger role in the majority of the story, but it didn't really become a big deal until about 3/4 of the way in. I didn't really mind though. I really don't like the title- I feel like it doesn't really make sense with the story.
All in all, this book was fine. Not great, not bad, but just kinda fine. I don't think I would read it again, and I probably wouldn't recommend it (just because of how I find it somewhat unrealistic, at least on Margie's side). However, I did enjoy reading it, so 3 stars.
First of all, the bullying. This book takes place in California, a state with a very large Latino population. From the first few pages of the book, I could tell that the teasing factor was an exaggeration. It seems unlikely that Margie would be the only Hispanic kid in her class/grade that was good enough at speaking English that she didn't need to be in the separated bilingual class. And really, I'm sure there's some teasing, but I don't think that it would be such a huge deal. Margie whines constantly about how it took years for the teasing to stop, and with Lupe it would start all over again. So unrealistic.
Second: I don't think kids really stress out that much over working their butts off to become American. Margie said at one point that she had talked her mom into letting her get a PERM (at age 10?!?) so that she wouldn't stand out with her straight black hair. She obsesses over having an American Christmas, playing the same xmas CDs over and over again until she knows the words by heart. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything. I may be wrong (I am a white, teenage girl, born in the US) but I really think the pressure to immediately become an American was pretty overdone, at least for the 21st century. Kids nowadays are a whole lot more accepting of other cultures, especially in places like California.
All that being said, there were parts of the book that I really did like. I thought that Lupe's point of view was very well done (especially compared to Margie's.) The author did great job showing how her happiness and curiosity from being in a new place mixed with worry about how Margie might resent her (which she did, by the way). I liked Lupe a whole lot better than Margie.
I also really liked Camille, and how shocked Margie was when Camille revealed that her father's side of the family was Cuban:
Margie looked at Camille as if she had never seen her before. This tall blond girl, with such fair skin and no accent, had a Latino father. There was no question she was American, but she didn't seem to mind that her relatives were not.
"And here I thought you were totally American," Margie replied, completely surprised.
"That's funny, so did I," said Camille, laughing. "I am American, and I'm the same person you knew before you found out that half my family comes from other countries."
Way to tell her off, Camille. That girl needed to be taken down a notch.
The author also threw in some great passages about the American way of life, including my personal favorite:
Lupe was surprised at the way Margie would constantly skip songs and change CDs. She would have preferred to hear each song all the way through until it finished. Just as Lupe was starting to understand some of the words in the song, Margie would skip to the next one or open the player to switch discs. Whenever a song was playing, Margie was already looking for the next CD she wanted to hear.
Now, as she looked at the CD player, Lupe thought, Yes, that's how I feel in this country, always fast-forwarded. The minute I think I have caught up with things, it turns out that I need to learn something new.
Yep, that's America. Life in the fastlane, always.
Judging from the cover, I had expected dancing to play a somewhat larger role in the majority of the story, but it didn't really become a big deal until about 3/4 of the way in. I didn't really mind though. I really don't like the title- I feel like it doesn't really make sense with the story.
All in all, this book was fine. Not great, not bad, but just kinda fine. I don't think I would read it again, and I probably wouldn't recommend it (just because of how I find it somewhat unrealistic, at least on Margie's side). However, I did enjoy reading it, so 3 stars.
akaaks's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful book! I was familiar with Alma Flor Ada's book My Name is María Isabel, but this book surpassed my expectations. It is told from both of he perspectives of Margarita or Margie as she or prefers to be called and her cousin Lupe. Margie at first is embarrassed by her Mexican heritage and everything that her cousin from Mexico represents, but as the book progresses, they become closer and Margie becomes to find pride in her heritage. As a teacher, I appreciate the theme of what it means to be an American, and how multi-faceted that is. It also doesn't shy away from the hardships that Lupe's father experiences as an undocumented immigrant. This book ended with me trying to keep from crying on a bus. I cannot wait to share it with my students!
sydneyjane12's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book for a few dollars online thinking it was in Spanish. I am a Spanish major and I wanted a small chapter book that was written in Spanish that I could try and read. While this book did not give me that, even though some of the dialogue was in Spanish, it was very good. It was a refreshing little book about heritage, identity, and trying to belong. It addressed issues of racism, bullying, and immigration. For a children's book, I cannot believe how "woke" it is.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
3.0
This is a sweet book even if it is a bit heavy handed. Books and children can always surprise you, though, and the toughest young man in the fifth grade declared the book his favorite of the year.
leslie_d's review against another edition
3.0
Dancing Home provides the young reader with a valuable insight into an immigrant experience. It isn’t shy about its goal to inform ignorant readers and commiserate with those who are not. I can’t say it is the most lyrical experience or the most “literary,” but need it be? Dancing Home is an ambitious little book, but with so few of these middle-grade stories by their (oft marginalized) authors getting through the Publishing World’s sieve (especially large presses), little wonder why.
Publishers Weekly (July) did not care much for Dancing Home.
“Working with a potentially rich multicultural family story, [the authors] instead deliver a timely but lifeless novel about a Mexican-American girl in California and her newly arrived Mexican cousin. […] The 11-year-olds […] come across as little more than mouthpieces for the authors’ message. While the opening chapter, in which Margarita unhappily brings Lupe to her own classroom, is promising, the authors rely too much on descriptions and summaries, forgoing opportunities to ‘show, don’t tell.’ […] Margarita’s eventual appreciation of her heritage and Lupe’s adjustment to her new country are predictable and too easily come by to have true emotional resonance.”
I rarely disagree with Publishers Weekly, and I am not going to completely disagree here now. The “mouthpiece” complaint is an issue, and one not limited to the two girls. “Lifeless” is a harsh criticism, but wooden did come to my mind at turns—child actors in an afterschool special. Given the content versus the accessible length of the novel, I think ‘show, don’t tell’ is necessarily set aside at points. You have one shot to bring an important sense of awareness to our young people’s consciousness, how much do you leave to chance? Do we want another series? Or another book in verse?*
Admittedly, I do not require all my reads to be lyrical and/or deeply emotional. It is true that the ending did not provide “true emotional resonance” for me either, but my mind was engaged. Does the grade-school reader require and/or exact an emotional resonance with Dancing Home? Is the ending that trite, or does it come off as an offering of hope? Is there insult in an attempt to be heart-provoking, where all it does is provoke our minds?
Dancing Home writes from two primary perspectives, that of the coddled American girl and the mature via fire Mexican girl; one is ignorant–due to sheltering and perhaps carelessness, the other is experienced—due to familial conflict brought on by cultural stressors; one is the outside looking in, the other—the same, just from another window on another side of the house; importantly, there is some overlap. One or more of those perspectives is where we are asked to connect as the Reader. The already large scope of these two narrators are expanded by those they encounter (family, friends, etc) and even more perspectives are offered. Like the offering of perspectives, there are several questions to choose from as well. Relevancy in Dancing Home shifts depending on the Reader and how they approach the novel. Of course, this could be said of any read, but I think it vital to success of Dancing Home in particular.
I felt like it was assumed that the Reader would be an outsider, an on-looker, ignorant of the struggles of a first generation immigrant and a new transplant. At the same time, Dancing Home hardly excludes a Reader in the know, offering vocalization with which they might identify. As the outsider (and adult, critical reader) I often remained in my seat before the stage. I was intrigued in turns, and I was able to relate in others.** That was my experience with the read. Spend some time reading the Goodreads collection of reviews. Stars swing dramatic back and forth. Even with the lower rated reviews, there are still paragraphs, if only to argue the realism portrayed. The greatness of the scope, the multiple entries, Dancing Home is a playground of discussion.
Dancing Home is aggressive in its informative nature, and I know that this is a turn-off for plenty. We like more clever manipulation, at least when we are asked to learn something. However, emotional manipulation in revelatory multicultural stories can be exhausting, to tell the truth. Dancing Home has a definite place.
Could the novel have been more elegant, less clumsy? Perhaps. For some. In the end, Dancing Home can be lifeless. The novel is missing something. An audience. Its Reader. A dancing partner.
————————————–
*these are not necessarily a rhetorical set of questions.
**If you do not know your own immigrant story, you are past due, I suggest you look into it.
Suey at “It’s All About Books” is pondering a John Waters quote, which, in part, recommends, “You should never read just for ‘enjoyment.” It was on my mind as I wrote this “review.”
a few authors to look into for more (and varied) immigrant stories, which provide Dancing Home some of its competition stylistically: Julia Alvarez, Margarita Engle, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Pam Munoz Ryan, Bettina Restrepo.
Doret at “The Happy Nappy Bookseller” wrote this review, and it was the primary reason I picked the book up at the Library. I’m glad I did. Dancing Home would be a great addition to your school-classroom or-library shelf. It reminded me in a lot of ways to Bettina Restrepo’s Illegal (my review), most notably in the way Restrepo is both bold in relaying hard situations and buoying potential despair with hope.
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/dancing-home/
Publishers Weekly (July) did not care much for Dancing Home.
“Working with a potentially rich multicultural family story, [the authors] instead deliver a timely but lifeless novel about a Mexican-American girl in California and her newly arrived Mexican cousin. […] The 11-year-olds […] come across as little more than mouthpieces for the authors’ message. While the opening chapter, in which Margarita unhappily brings Lupe to her own classroom, is promising, the authors rely too much on descriptions and summaries, forgoing opportunities to ‘show, don’t tell.’ […] Margarita’s eventual appreciation of her heritage and Lupe’s adjustment to her new country are predictable and too easily come by to have true emotional resonance.”
I rarely disagree with Publishers Weekly, and I am not going to completely disagree here now. The “mouthpiece” complaint is an issue, and one not limited to the two girls. “Lifeless” is a harsh criticism, but wooden did come to my mind at turns—child actors in an afterschool special. Given the content versus the accessible length of the novel, I think ‘show, don’t tell’ is necessarily set aside at points. You have one shot to bring an important sense of awareness to our young people’s consciousness, how much do you leave to chance? Do we want another series? Or another book in verse?*
Admittedly, I do not require all my reads to be lyrical and/or deeply emotional. It is true that the ending did not provide “true emotional resonance” for me either, but my mind was engaged. Does the grade-school reader require and/or exact an emotional resonance with Dancing Home? Is the ending that trite, or does it come off as an offering of hope? Is there insult in an attempt to be heart-provoking, where all it does is provoke our minds?
Dancing Home writes from two primary perspectives, that of the coddled American girl and the mature via fire Mexican girl; one is ignorant–due to sheltering and perhaps carelessness, the other is experienced—due to familial conflict brought on by cultural stressors; one is the outside looking in, the other—the same, just from another window on another side of the house; importantly, there is some overlap. One or more of those perspectives is where we are asked to connect as the Reader. The already large scope of these two narrators are expanded by those they encounter (family, friends, etc) and even more perspectives are offered. Like the offering of perspectives, there are several questions to choose from as well. Relevancy in Dancing Home shifts depending on the Reader and how they approach the novel. Of course, this could be said of any read, but I think it vital to success of Dancing Home in particular.
I felt like it was assumed that the Reader would be an outsider, an on-looker, ignorant of the struggles of a first generation immigrant and a new transplant. At the same time, Dancing Home hardly excludes a Reader in the know, offering vocalization with which they might identify. As the outsider (and adult, critical reader) I often remained in my seat before the stage. I was intrigued in turns, and I was able to relate in others.** That was my experience with the read. Spend some time reading the Goodreads collection of reviews. Stars swing dramatic back and forth. Even with the lower rated reviews, there are still paragraphs, if only to argue the realism portrayed. The greatness of the scope, the multiple entries, Dancing Home is a playground of discussion.
Dancing Home is aggressive in its informative nature, and I know that this is a turn-off for plenty. We like more clever manipulation, at least when we are asked to learn something. However, emotional manipulation in revelatory multicultural stories can be exhausting, to tell the truth. Dancing Home has a definite place.
Could the novel have been more elegant, less clumsy? Perhaps. For some. In the end, Dancing Home can be lifeless. The novel is missing something. An audience. Its Reader. A dancing partner.
————————————–
*these are not necessarily a rhetorical set of questions.
**If you do not know your own immigrant story, you are past due, I suggest you look into it.
Suey at “It’s All About Books” is pondering a John Waters quote, which, in part, recommends, “You should never read just for ‘enjoyment.” It was on my mind as I wrote this “review.”
a few authors to look into for more (and varied) immigrant stories, which provide Dancing Home some of its competition stylistically: Julia Alvarez, Margarita Engle, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Pam Munoz Ryan, Bettina Restrepo.
Doret at “The Happy Nappy Bookseller” wrote this review, and it was the primary reason I picked the book up at the Library. I’m glad I did. Dancing Home would be a great addition to your school-classroom or-library shelf. It reminded me in a lot of ways to Bettina Restrepo’s Illegal (my review), most notably in the way Restrepo is both bold in relaying hard situations and buoying potential despair with hope.
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/dancing-home/
stephann_4's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jennybeastie's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of heavy things in this book -- divorce, abandonment, one family adopting a cousin from Mexico who doesn't speak English, and the feelings of the girl in the host family as she watches this cousin bond with her parents over a shared culture she feels alienated from. Their friendship/sisterhood blossoms over time, and a shared appreciation for both cultures. Lovely, but slow paced and slightly heavy handed on the lessons to share.