Overview
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 finds a way at last 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.
Synopsis
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 finds a way at last 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.
Publishers Weekly
Distinguished more by its sharp, eloquent prose than by its plot, Kephart's (Undercover) second YA novel probes the fear of loss by introducing a heroine who overcomes it. Abandoned by her father years ago, emotionally distant from her mother, who is caught up in an affair with her married boss, 15-year-old Rosie spends much of the summer before junior year with her terminally ill, widower grandfather, helping him sort through his belongings, all of them stuffed with mementos. As his health rapidly declines, Rosie realizes: "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." Determined to retrieve the time her grandfather misses most, when music filled the evenings and he could watch his wife dance, Rosie sets about throwing a dance party at her grandfather's house. Poetically expressed memories and moving dialogue both anchor and amplify the characters' emotions. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
Booklist
"... the piercing emotions and family situations, described with lyrical beauty, will hit home with readers who enjoy gentle, emotional journeys, such as Lynne Rae Perkinsβ Newbery MedalΒwinner Criss Cross (1995)"Publishers Weekly
Distinguished more by its sharp, eloquent prose than by its plot, Kephart's (Undercover) second YA novel probes the fear of loss by introducing a heroine who overcomes it. Abandoned by her father years ago, emotionally distant from her mother, who is caught up in an affair with her married boss, 15-year-old Rosie spends much of the summer before junior year with her terminally ill, widower grandfather, helping him sort through his belongings, all of them stuffed with mementos. As his health rapidly declines, Rosie realizes: "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." Determined to retrieve the time her grandfather misses most, when music filled the evenings and he could watch his wife dance, Rosie sets about throwing a dance party at her grandfather's house. Poetically expressed memories and moving dialogue both anchor and amplify the characters' emotions. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.KLIATT -
This novel is for young people dealing with the loss of loved ones, whether through death or disappointment. Fifteen-year-old Rosie is lonely. Her father has abandoned the family. Her mother is involved with a married man, and now her mother tells Rosie her grandfather is dying. Even though Rosie's mother and grandfather have not spoken for several years, Rosie's mother asks her to visit her grandfather every day over the summer and help him. Rosie's best friend is away for the summer and her almost-boyfriend is busy working for his father, so every day Rosie goes over to grandfather's house and helps him sort through a mountain of accumulated possessions. They go into piles: "in trust," "decide later," and "toss." Over the summer, Rosie learns of her grandfather's regrets, all the places he didn't travel to with his now-dead wife because he was saving a nest egg for the future. She learns that he wanted to visit Barcelona, Madrid, and other places filled with color and movement, and that her grandmother loved to dance. Near her grandfather's home is a dance studio, and Rosie, who has saved all the money her father has ever sent her, decides to take lessons and give her grandfather a going-away party and a gift of dance that will remind him of his dreams and the color of life. At the same time, Rosie is giving herself the gift of color, and love, and forgiveness. Beautifully and subtly written, full of vivid imagery and close observation, this book confronts the issue of how to live life when we know we're going to die. Reviewer: Myrna MarlerVOYA -
Kephart's second novel for young adults is a quiet tome laden with metaphor and description. Set in the summer between Rosie's ninth and tenth grade years and narrated in the first person, the book describes Rosie's daily visits to her dying grandfather during which she helps him straighten out his possessions, deciding which of his large collection of books, records, and papers to throw away or keep "in trust." During these visits, Rosie's grandfather reminisces about his departed wife, who loved to dance and would "fox-trot in circles, with the moon as her man." This memory inspires Rosie to sign up for dance classes at the House of Dance, where she hopes to bring the spirit of her dead grandmother back to her grandfather by dancing for him at a party in his honor. Kephart infuses the narrative with thick description of the summer's heat and sudden thunderstorms, an attention to the natural world that appears to be a hallmark of her writing. The story itself is dilatory, and this pacing reflects Rosie's wish to slow the progression of her grandfather's disease. A decidedly literary offering, Kephart's novel is a restrained read that encourages its audience to linger over its pages. Reviewer: Amy S. PatteeChildren's Literature -
A teenage girl reaches out to her dying grandfather, learning about his life and, in turn, her own. Told from the point of view of fifteen-year-old Rosie, a girl whose father has run off, and whose mother is distant and seemingly self-absorbed. With insights that are surprisingly and somewhat unrealistically adult, it can be somewhat difficult to fully relate to Rosie as a believable teenage girl who has such a difficult life. The supporting characters are interesting though underdeveloped, as there are many side stories, causing all to be glossed over and never fully explored. The title of the novel is derived from the name of a dance studio in Rosie's town, where she takes lessons in order to surprise her grandfather, theirs being the relationship in the book that does manage to be fully developed. Kephart's writing style is beautiful and elegant, with strong opening and closing lines to each chapter that can be quite poignant (even overly so, at times), and is pleasant to read. Though Rosie's relationships with everyone other than her grandfather seem unresolved, the love between a girl and her grandfather still makes for an interesting story with plenty of sweet and touching moments that warm the heart. Reviewer: Carly ReaganSchool Library Journal
Gr 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