Moving As One (Heart Beats) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Elizabeth M. Rees (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"In Carlos Vargas's arms I can be anything. Light as a whisper. Secret as smoke." So muses vixen Roxanna Ivanov in this lead-footed debut of the Heart Beats series, as the two teens tango at Rainbow Dance studio. The pair dreams of becoming famous partners on the ballroom circuit, but Roxanna would like to extend her relationship with Carlos well beyond the dance floor. Meanwhile, over at Ballet Academy, top student Sophy Bartlett is devastated to learn that the financially strapped school is closing its doors. A last-minute merger with Rainbow Dance saves the Academy, even if Sophy is sure that the association will ruin the Academy's stellar reputation. But when Sophy?much to Roxanna's chagrin?is paired with Carlos in a fund-raiser, the would-be ballerina discovers that salsa dancing has its redeeming features, not least of which is "moving as one" with Carlos. Unfortunately, sloppy descriptive writing and much inconsequential dialogue keep Rees's soap-opera-like plot from moving with much grace, and the dance passages are both scanty and superficial. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-This first title in a new series introduces the students of Dance Tech, a merged ballet and ballroom dance school. The stereotypical multicultural cast includes Carlos Vargas, a hot-blooded Latino boy; Sophy Bartlett, a ballet beauty; and Roxanna Ivanov, a sultry Russian girl with a jealous streak. The plot is predictable, with Sophy and Carlos butting heads over which dance company is best, and Carlos's dance partner Roxanna becoming jealous as she realizes that a romance is developing from the conflict. Roxanna throws a monkey wrench into the plans for the school's fund-raiser, which of course brings Sophy and Carlos even closer together. The mall shopping, teen romance, and catty girl fights that fill these pages will probably keep undemanding young teens reading. The never-give-up, work-hard attitude of these dancers carries the story to its conclusion. Similar to the "Satin Slippers" series (Ballantine), written by the same author under the name Elizabeth Bernard, this is light reading for romance and ballet aficionados.
Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068981948X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689819483
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,767,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The romance is as good as the dancing!, February 18, 1999

By A Customer

I just read this book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. The dance schools merging is a great plot, because it throws all these different people together. What I really like is everyone in the book has faults--for all their likeable qualities, there's some way that they mess up or aren't perfect. In other words, it's all about real people, like my friends. I like the stuff with Sophy's family--but the dance sections are even better!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, it's a real page turner., November 3, 1998

By A Customer

I love this book. I couldn't put it down. I was dying to know what happened next. Carlos and Sophy are two of the most intriguing characters I have ever encountered in a young adult novel. They actually have depth and souls. I cared about their problems and about them. I love all the dangling plot threads that will keep me moving through the other books just as quickly. I can't wait to see how everything turns out.

5.0 out of 5 stars I love CARLOS! and Sophy!, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

I love this book. I'm a dancer,too, and I'd love to go to a school like dance tech. Do they also go a regular school and have classes? It would be cool if they just had regular classes for everything at dance tech so they would have more time to dance (I wish I went to a schhol like that!) I am wating for the next book to come in to my bookstore, can't wait to see SOphy and Carlos hook up I hope they do!