House of Dance (Laura Geringer Books) [Kindle Edition]

Beth Kephart (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—Rosie's grandfather is slowly dying. Rosie's mother, who has not spoken to the man in years, is in the throws of an affair with a creepy married man, leaving the teen to sort through her grandfather's possessions to decide what to keep and what to toss. As she wades through his belongings, she has glimpses into his life as a younger man; his fascination with travel; and his love of music, dancing, and his wife. Rosie begins to plan a party for him. She arranges special food, special costumes, and most importantly, she enrolls at the House of Dance so she will be able to ballroom dance at the party. Although the portrayal of intergenerational relationships tugs at the heartstrings, the plot is a bit slow, and the writing, while often fresh and lovely, in other places is convoluted or confusing, giving the novel limited teen appeal.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL
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From Booklist

As in her debut YA novel Undercover (2007), Kephart offers another quiet, sensitive story about a girl who pulls together her fragmented family. Fifteen-year-old Rosie faces a lonely summer. Her best friend is out of town, her single mother is consumed by an affair with a married man, and Rosie has been charged with daily visits to her grandfather, who is dying of cancer. While sorting through her grandfather’s possessions, Rosie concocts a secret plan that she hopes will “give him back the life he loved.” As part of the scheme, Rosie begins dance instruction at a neighborhood ballroom, and her growing confidence on the dance floor strengthens her sense of self. Kephart’s dialogue sometimes reads with the mannered feel of a stage play; Rosie’s poetic, meditative, first-person voice doesn’t always feel authentic; and her romance with a neighbor is underdeveloped. Still, the piercing emotions and family situations, described with lyrical beauty, will hit home with readers who enjoy gentle, emotional journeys, such as Lynne Rae Perkins’ Newbery Medal–winner Criss Cross (1995). Grades 7-10. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 241 KB
• Print Length: 276 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0061429309
• Publisher: HarperTeen; Reprint edition (June 23, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002C949HM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,271 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #48 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Dance

More About the Author

Following the publication of five memoirs and FLOW, the autobiography of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River, I've had the great pleasure of turning my attention to young adult fiction. UNDERCOVER and HOUSE OF DANCE were both named a best of the year by Kirkus and Bank Street. NOTHING BUT GHOSTS, A HEART IS NOT A SIZE, and DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS were critically acclaimed. In October YOU ARE MY ONLY will be released by Egmont USA. Next summer, Philomel will release SMALL DAMAGES. I am at work on a prequel to DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS, a novel for adults, and a memoir about teaching. Please visit my blog: http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the dancer in everyone, May 28, 2008

By 

Avid Reader (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Dance (Laura Geringer Books) (Hardcover)

I've been taking ballroom dancing lessons the past few years and so I read HOUSE OF DANCE with interest. I was surprised by how well this novel captures the world of dance, and I was moved by Rosie's story.

I highly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, May 27, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: House of Dance (Laura Geringer Books) (Hardcover)

Rosie Keith is in for a long summer. Her friends are all scattered for the three months at various jobs and camps, and her mother is hardly ever home, preferring to spend time with her business partner, who is also the man she is having an affair with. So Rosie turns to her grandfather, who is dying of cancer. During those long summer days, she helps Granddad clean through his multitudes of possessions, placing things to keep In Trust. It is on one of those day she discovers The House of Dance, and begins taking lessons there, hoping to put In Trust again a few of Granddad's long-ago memories before he is gone for good.

House of Dance is a distinct and intense look at Rosie's life, her losses, and how her family reacts. Kephart's words are lyrical and her incisive style propels the reader easily through the book. Her in-depth look at illness and foreshadowing of death are very realistic and heartfelt. You will find yourself relating easily to Rosie, and admiring her strength in this wonderfully crafted novel.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The slow-quick-quick movement of life and loss, May 27, 2008

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Dance (Laura Geringer Books) (Hardcover)

You cannot buy a man who is dying a single meaningful thing. You can only give him back the life he loved and awaken the memories.

Rosie's father left when she was quite young. His only interaction with her comes in the mail: a weekly twenty-dollar bill. She has saved his money in a shoebox in the back of her closet as proof "that love cannot be bought."

Shortly after Rosie's father took off, her mother took a new job washing windows and eventually took up with her (married) boss. (She'd been taken from, that was her thinking, and now it was her turn for taking.) Instead of feeling left behind, Rosie learned how to take care of herself and never complained, a quiet strength building inside of her.

Now Rosie is fifteen years old and the grandfather she barely knows is dying. She is sent to check on him by her mother, who is too busy and too stubborn to visit him herself. Luckily, Granddad and his cat Riot are only a twenty-minute walk away. With her friends gone for the summer and her mother always at work, Rosie begins to fill her days with visits to her grandfather. As she helps him sort his belongings, they grow closer. She learns about the grandmother she never knew and the trips her grandparents never took. She also gains an appreciation for jazz music.

On one of her walks through town, Rosie discovers the House of Dance. Once she finally summons up the courage to enter the ballroom studio, her mother's heeled sandals dangling from her hand, she is rewarded with new friends and new routines. An idea starts to form in the back of her mind. As her grandfather's condition worsens, she works hard to make that idea into a reality. There are many supporting players - the other dancers, the instructors, Granddad's nurse, Rosie's friends, the local shopkeepers - who are instrumental to Rosie's plan, and they all chip in.

House of Dance captures the slow-quick-quick movement of life and loss. As with Kephart's previous young adult novel, Undercover, the narrator tells her story at the speed of thought, revealing things to readers that she would never say out loud. She considers happy and sad memories in turn, blending her past with the present day. Detailed in emotions and colors, the characters come to life. Recommended.