Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn [Hardcover]

April Lurie (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

For thirteen-year-old Judy Strand, summers in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, bustle with games of stickball played in the street, fun-filled outings to neighboring Coney Island, and her family’s yearly trip to the Catskill Mountains. But in July 1944, Judy’s carefree days and her innocence are shaken by a discovery: The man she’s always called Pa isn’t her real father. Even more shocking, Judy learns that the father she doesn’t remember was an alcoholic who abandoned his family. That’s why Judy’s mother emigrated to America from Norway. Now Judy feels jumbled inside: She’s angry at her mother for keeping the truth from her–and she’s suddenly awkward around Pa. Nothing her parents say soothes the hurt.

At first, even the attentions of Jacob Jacobsen don’t make her feel any better. Judy likes Jacob; it’s just that his dad’s drinking binges hit too close to home. Ashamed, Judy doesn’t want anyone to find out her secret. But as misfortune befalls Jacob, Judy’s close friends, and her own family, Judy rallies to their side, and in the process recognizes that growing up encompasses forgiveness–of others and of herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Likable 13-year-old narrator Judy Strand describes life in a Norwegian community in 1944 Brooklyn in this disjointed first novel. In the first chapter, the strange behavior of Jacob Jacobsen, son of the neighborhood drunk, triggers Judy's thoughts about her own recently discovered secret: she is adopted, and she had a baby sister who died. In the process of uncovering the facts about her real father, who is also an alcoholic, and in sorting through her feelings, Judy withdraws from her mother and adoptive father and grows closer to Jacob. Unfortunately, many themes are introduced and then dropped: early on, Judy says of her best friend, Annette, for instance, "There was something different about us-deep down where you couldn't see," yet the narrative never plumbs these differences. Jacob joins Judy's family for a summer vacation during which they become romantically involved, yet, back in Brooklyn, a rift abruptly develops between them, and readers get only a glimpse of the cause. The author packs a lot into this ambitious novel, but the plot lines wind up competing with one another. The narrator's often detached voice distances readers from the events, too. At one point Judy mentions how much she likes her youth group leader, "but I never let on about what was really happening inside me." The audience may well feel the same way. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A fresh, engaging novel set during World War II in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, then an enclave for Norwegian immigrants. Judy, 13, uncovers an unsettling secret about her past as she sorts through some old family papers: the man she has called "Pa" all these years is actually her adoptive father. Her mother explains that her biological father was an alcoholic who abandoned the family in Norway, and that she had a baby sister who died of pneumonia on the boat trip to America. Stunned and confused, Judy feels betrayed by her mother and awkward around the man she has always considered her father. Being around Jacob Jacobsen, who is sweet on her, only makes things worse as Jacob's dad, another alcoholic, is a constant reminder of the painful past. When his mother requests that he accompany Judy and her family to the Catskills to keep him away from some neighborhood bullies, the protagonist is initially resentful, but by summer's end, the two teens develop a romantic attachment. Readers get a glimpse into Norwegian-American culture along with some realities of life on the home front: yellow and blue stars in front windows, food rationing, older brothers lost in battle, older sisters working to support the war effort, and, finally, when the Japanese surrender, dancing in the streets. Lurie beautifully captures an adolescent's voice and concerns as well as a nostalgic Brooklyn childhood filled with stickball, candy stores, and trips to Coney Island.
Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (October 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385729421
• ISBN-13: 978-0385729420
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,513,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I now live in Austin with my husband and four kids. Yes, four. Crazy, I know. I went to Hunter College in Manhattan, and worked several years as a NICU nurse. I began writing for teens in my mid- thirties and have been doing it ever since. It's the best job in the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, October 24, 2002

By 

Ms. A+ (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn (Hardcover)

"Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn" is a warm, beautiful story with authentic characters that have remained in my memory. Lurie avoids melodrama to tell Judy's story with sincerity and compassion. The author's roots in Bay Ridge give the book an authenticity that's refreshing. Not your typical wartime book, "Dancing" shows that while the years were difficult, they were innocent as well. Readers easily feel Judy's joys and sorrows as she comes to terms with the secrets of her past.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that brings you there., October 22, 2002

By 

annarae smetzer (round rock, tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn (Hardcover)

A wonderful story for all ages to read. This is one of those that you don't want to put down. It brings you into the life of the characters. The writer has the capability to bring the reader to a place that you have never been. Written during the close of WWII the story shares the economical and emotional crisis that families endured. It also shares quite a bit about the Norwegian traditions. Fantastic! Thanks for the experience that it brought me.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Couldn't Put this Book Down!, December 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn (Hardcover)

Wow this is the best new author I have read in a long time. I read the entire book in one sitting because I could not put it down. The characters were so realistic and I felt like I could relate to each of them in one way or another. I recommend Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn to anyone looking for an exciting novel to read over the holidays.