House Of Dance (Laura Geringer Books) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Rosie and her mother coexist in the same house as near strangers. Since Rosie's father abandoned them years ago, her mother has accomplished her own disappearing act, spending more time with her boss than with Rosie. Now faced with losing her grandfather too, Rosie begins to visit him every day, traveling across town to his house, where she helps him place the things that matter most to him "In Trust." As Rosie learns her grandfather's story, she discovers the role music and motion have played in it. But like colors, memories fade. When Rosie stumbles into the House of Dance, she finally finds a way to restore the source of her grandfather's greatest joy. Eloquently told, National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart's House of Dance is a powerful celebration of life and the people we love who make it worthwhile.
Age Range: 12 and up
Series: Laura Geringer Books
Library Binding: 272 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (June 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061429295
ASIN: B005Q67EHA
Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 7.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #940,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #72 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Performing Arts > Dance #490 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance #1723 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Multigenerational
Title: House of DanceAuthor: Beth KephartGenre: YA fictionWhere I got it: E-libraryOne sentence: Rosie tries to cope with her absentee mother and her grandfather's impending death and holding onto his memories through learning how to dance.Themes: Loss, dance, coming-of-ageMain character: Rosie is an insightful fifteen year old trying to deal with the sickness and impending loss of her grandfather as her mother has an affair with a married man. I thought Rosie's character was well-developed and strong; she was very mature for her age and worked through the process of death through learning the waltz, like her grandmother used to dance.Secondary characters: Kephart tried to bring in the secondary character of Nate, but he seemed too conspicuously absent to even be a minor character. I thought the character of Rosie's mother was particularly intriguing in how she was both absent (but very much a presence) and how she was the other woman.Writing style: Kephart actually had a very mature and fluid writing style that I found compelling and beautiful, especially in a young adult novel, where I feel too often, writing focuses on action and not on description or style in the writing itself.Plot: I thought there would be more actually dance involved in the novel; instead it seemed to focus on the relationship between Rosie and the other characters: her grandfather, her mother, and how she used dance as a gift to her grandfather. Ultimately, I wished there was some more depth to the plot.
Rosie isn't having the greatest summer and the worst thing is it just started. First of all her and her mom don't have the greatest relationship, all her friends are away and the worst thing is her grandpa is dying of cancer. Wanting to spend as much time as possible with him Rosie goes to his house, which is just across town, everyday. During the days with her grandpa not only does she talk with him, but she helps him clean out his cluttered house. As she is going through old things she starts to learn more about the life her grandpa, and for that fact her dead grandma, lived. On her way home one night Rosie hears music wafting through the air. As she looks up she sees magnificent dancers through the large windows. Now every time Rosie passes by The House of Dance she looks up to see the light steps of the dancers. One day Rosie plucks up the courage to go see for herself what the House of Dance is like and takes them up on their offer of one free lesson. Rosie falls in love with ballroom dancing and decides to keep it up. Through dance Rosie learns more about her grandpa's life and decides to give him the best gift she can.The way I felt after reading this book is really hard to describe with words, it was just that amazing and fantabulous! Everything about it was just awesome. First I must start with the writing style. It was what I loved most about the book. Beth Kephart's words flowed so well together and they almost seemed to be lyrical. Also the description was great. I felt like I was walking right alongside Rosie, looking into the shop windows and smelling the breads at the bakery. Then the story itself was great. I loved how Rosie really came to find herself and learn to deal with difficult situations. I also loved Rosie's emotions in the book.
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.
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