Customer Reviews

Last Dance

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Have you ever wanted something so bad but watched it fade away from your fingertips? Rachel Deering has. In the book the Last Dance by Lurlene McDaniel, Rachel Deering is a teenage girl who wants to become a professional dancer and with the help of Madame Pershoff she just might. When there is an audition to tryout for a company scholarship to the School of American Ballet of the New York City Ballet she really feels that she has a good chance of winning. When she finds out that she has a life long illness she feels as if her life long dream has been shattered. With the help of her family members and friends, will she still be able to live her dream of becoming a professional dancer?Will she get through the illness? You will never know unless you read this beautifully written, page turning book.

Originally, this book was entitled "When Dreams Shatter", and was released in the mid-80s. After going out of print for awhile, I'm glad to see that it's made a comeback!

Something is wrong with Rachael Deering. She's constantly thirsty, can't stop going to the bathroom, and she's losing weight. Then after passing out in ballet class and being rushed to the hospital, the doctor delivers a devastating diagnosis, Type I diabetes. Her pancreas has quit producing insulin and as a result, she has to give up sugar, count every calorie, and give herself two shots a day just to survive. Before her diagnosis, Rachael had dreams of becoming a famous ballerina. Now she and her parents aren't sure whether or not she should pursue her dream. When she meets Sean, a fellow teenage diabetic and a soccer player, Rachael might just realize her dream after all...

Knowing that Ms. McDaniel has a son who has been diabetic since the age of three, I believe that the majority of this story is based upon her experiences as a parent. I think she did an excellent job of dealing with such a tough subject, especially tough for a young person to deal with. I have been reading her books since I was eleven and I still continue to enjoy them now, as an adult.

Rachel Deering loves to dance. She lives in Miami, Florida. Rachel went to school like a normal teenage girl does, she does her homework, hangs out with friends, and most of all loved to dance. Someday Rachel hoped to become a professional ballet dancer. When her ballet teacher tells her that the Christmas Ballet performance was coming up she got so excited she started rehearsing right away. One day when Rachel was at dance she passed out, then she was transported to the local hospital. When Rachel gets there she finds out that she has been diagnosed with diabetes, and thinks that her life has to come to an end until she meets Shawn when she meets Shawn he changes everything. Shawn was so nice to her that he showed her that even though she has diabetes she can still follow her dreams. To find out the rest of the story you should read the book. I really like this book I thought it was a great book.

heart crushing lareene McDaniel book last Dance is about a 12 year old girl Rachel Deering she loves to dance in fact she dreams of becoming a pro.Lately she isn't felling to hot shes always tired and her mouth is so dry shes so thirsty and she spending more than 2 hrs. in bathroom.Anyway while shes practiceing for BIG tryouts for dance she passes out and she wakes up in the hospilal to find out shes diagnosed with diabeties and to make matters worse she has to take 2 shots a day just to live she questions her self "will i ever dance agin?". thats when she meets another diabetic hunck Shawn who teaches her its better to love and to live life with adventure and a few bumps than to not live it at all.Will she controll her diabeties? will she ever dance agin?Will she live life looking on the bright side with love and compation?

Rachel loves to dance and dreams of being a professional someday - and an invite to dance in New York seems to begin her dream, until an incurable illness threatens everything she's worked for. LAST DANCE considers career, life, and the unexpected changes ill health can bring - as well as the new lease on life it can offer.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Rachel Deering is a normal 13 yearold. Wanting to be a ballet star which I can understand I do ballet. Until she passes out in ballet class. When she awakens she discovers that she a life long illness that will change her life forever. Will she overcome her illness to be star at American Ballet Company? You'll have to read Last Dance to find out.

Lurlene Mcdaniel completely over dramtizes life with diabetes as a teen or kid. yeah, it sucks, but it is managable, and anyone who has this disease can have a normal life, and a good one ,too. lurlene is often over sappy and too sentimental. My best friend has recently been diagnosed with jeuvenile diabetes, and while I don't know what it's like to have it, I know she doesn't let it stop her from living her life. Lurlene is always talking a bout how healthy people don't understnad being sick, but that means that she must not understnad,either. MC daniel is depressing for kids with diabetes, who, again, I must reiterate, can live normal, happy, and healthy lives. also, why does Mcdaniel always include an over sappy relationships?? this book is bland, over emotional, and depressing.

i love lurlene mcdaniel's books. they are tear jerkers because they hit so close to home for many.