Winnie Dancing on Her Own [Hardcover]

Jennifer Richard Jacobson (Author), Alissa Imre Geis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

For the first time since they were five, the girls didn’t know how to be with one another. It was as if Winnie had said “I don’t want to be in the club anymore.” Threesomes are hard, everyone says, but since kindergarten, Vanessa, Winnie, Zoe—the End-of-the-Alphabet Club—have done everything together: sleepovers, trips to the library, games at recess. Yet now, as the world of ballet enters their lives, Winnie fears she will lose her two best friends. Simply told and illustrated with heartfelt, spirited drawings, this early chapter book explores the mysteries and joys of friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jacobson (Moon Sandwich Mom) creates in third-grader Winnie a resourceful heroine who knows her own mind. As the novel opens, Winnie makes peanut butter and banana sandwiches: "It was Winnie's job to make a healthy lunch for herself and her father. She took her job very seriously." Though her mother died soon after Winnie was born, she and her father speak easily and openly about her mother. In addition to a supportive father, she has two best friends, Vanessa and Zoe. But when the two girls want to join ballet classes on Tuesday afternoons, the threesome's usual library-going day, Winnie is crestfallen; she "danced like a goose with something stuck in her throat." The author demonstrates her intimate knowledge of elementary school dynamics. At a sleepover, "the three friends lay on their backs. It was easier to be truthful this way." Jacobson conveys Winnie's hurt feelings as a stronger bond inevitably forms between the two aspiring dancers, leaving Winnie out. But her brief stint on the periphery also presents Winnie with a rare opportunity to see another side of her father. This uplifting tale speaks to the emerging independence of all grade-schoolers. Ages 7-10.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Three eight-year-old best friends do everything together, and always wear an identical article of clothing. Excited about taking an after-school ballet class, Vanessa and Zoe convince a reluctant Winnie to participate. After several lessons, the dance teacher points out to the other students how inept Winnie is and the child drops out of the group, which strains her relationship with her two pals. Finally, she misses them so much that she decides to try ballet again. With help from her sensitive, caring father, the girl becomes an expert at grand jets. She also comes to realize that people can have different interests and still be good friends. Geis's uncomplicated pencil drawings capture the girls' energy and personalities. The characterizations, simple vocabulary, large-sized type, and pages with lots of white space make this a good title for those who are just beginning to read chapter books.

Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (August 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618132872
• ISBN-13: 978-0618132874
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,976,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Winnie, October 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Winnie Dancing on Her Own (Hardcover)

I may have two left feet, but Winnie made me want to pirouette!
A treasure to read again and again.
The delightful illustrations seem to dance across the pages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encore!, November 29, 2001

By 

Esme R. Codell "planetesme.com" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Winnie Dancing on Her Own (Hardcover)

I would not hesitate to give this book to any little girl. The reading level reaches that tricky 2nd-3rd grade group, while the storytelling is sophisticated,engaging, and as graceful as any pirouette! Though I haven't been in the third grade myself in about a quarter century, I still found myself looking forward to finding out what happens next in this true-to-life story about friendship and staying true to yourself. The lovely line illustrations by Alissa Imre Geis are perfectly suited to the text and really add to the delight of the book. Readers who enjoy Beverly Cleary, Johanna Hurwitz and Eleanor Estes will find a friend in Winnie, and will look forward, as I do, to whatever comes next from these new talents in children's literature.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was the best of times...it was the worst of times, November 2, 2001

By 

Ruhama Kordatzky "librariane" (Burlington, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winnie Dancing on Her Own (Hardcover)

Elementary school is a time of making and breaking best friends. Winnie and her two best friends are put to a test when ballet classes are offered for third graders in their school, and Winnie doesn't want to dance, though her friends do. This easy-to-read novel honestly shows the ups and downs of friendship, without being sappy or bitter. Readers will also find that being yourself is more important than following the crowd, and true friends will support you no matter what.