If this were a movie, you'd open to the first page of this book and be transported to a whole other world. Everything would be in black and white, ...
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Mar 15, 2010
MAN, that cover is one of the best I have ever seen.
Dani Noir is so many things. The first of those things being a freaking spectacular book. An incredible debut. A new favourite. A forever favourite. Since I was lucky enough to get an early read on this one (!), I don't want to go into much--or rather, any--detail about the plot, so I'll confine my thoughts to how this awesome novel made me feel and how sharp and tight the writing was and then amend this review accordingly aft More...
Dani Noir is so many things. The first of those things being a freaking spectacular book. An incredible debut. A new favourite. A forever favourite. Since I was lucky enough to get an early read on this one (!), I don't want to go into much--or rather, any--detail about the plot, so I'll confine my thoughts to how this awesome novel made me feel and how sharp and tight the writing was and then amend this review accordingly aft More...
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Apr 25, 2009
Molly
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Dani is one of the most refreshingly REAL middle grade protagonists I've read in ages, and I say that as someone who reads middle grade daily for a living. It's like she's standing in front of you, telling you her story, just telling it like it is, as she reads. I want to give Dani a hug, the same way I always wanted to give Katherine Paterson's Gilly in THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS a hug -- not because I pity her, but just to let her know that I'm rooting for her. She's so totally unguarded, so unab
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Apr 21, 2009
Annika
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This is, hands-down, the best middle grade book I've read since I was *in* middle school. Nova is the next Paula Danziger!
Dani is the most REAL 13-year-old I've read since Marcy Lewis. Every word of this book is a work of art.
Dani is the most REAL 13-year-old I've read since Marcy Lewis. Every word of this book is a work of art.
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Jun 11, 2010
Kate
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Told from the funny and imaginative point of view of thirteen-year-old Dani, Dani Noir is hands down the best middle grade novel that I have read in ages. Though it has been *cough* *cough* years since I was last in middle school, reading this novel brought back some interesting memories from that period in my life. Personally, I loved Dani as a character, but I did have a few minor bumps in the road with relating to her-- divorced parents vs. mine which are still married for example. However, I
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Jan 10, 2010
Becky
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Full disclosure: I picked this book up because the author, Nova Ren Suma, is a lovely person who I know from a forum and have met for coffee once. Generally, when browsing, I lean more towards scifi/fantasy (shock, I know), but I think I probably would have picked up Dani regardless, because the title is catchy, the cover is gorgeous, and the idea of a tween girl heroine who loves noir movies is awesome.
The book stands up. It’s very voice-y, and Dani is a great character. She’s inter More...
The book stands up. It’s very voice-y, and Dani is a great character. She’s inter More...
Mar 11, 2010
Treasa
rated it: 
Dani's life is falling apart: since the divorce, her mother spends most of her time crying; Dani's best friend, Maya, moved away weeks ago and has yet to call; and Dani is being forced to spend a weekend with her father and his girlfriend. At least she has the solace of the Little Art, a one-screen movie theater in her small town that is showing only film noir reels this summer. When a glimpse of a girl in pink polka-dot tights makes Dani suspect that something sketchy is going on, she begins to
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Dec 02, 2011
Erin
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Dani Noir
by Nova Ren Suma
Not many teenagers have a taste for old-school movies with actors like Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, and Bette Davis, but Dani does. The Little Art Theater is her hang out—when times get tough, and they are tough for Dani—everyone knows she can be found there, curled up with her buttery popcorn getting lost in the big screen. She has reason to want to escape, her best friend moved away, her Dad cheated on her mom, and something is up with her friend Jackso More...
by Nova Ren Suma
Not many teenagers have a taste for old-school movies with actors like Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, and Bette Davis, but Dani does. The Little Art Theater is her hang out—when times get tough, and they are tough for Dani—everyone knows she can be found there, curled up with her buttery popcorn getting lost in the big screen. She has reason to want to escape, her best friend moved away, her Dad cheated on her mom, and something is up with her friend Jackso More...
Jul 11, 2010
Linda
rated it:
I loved this book. Author Nova Ren Suma has perfectly captured the sarcastic voice of 13-year-old Dani, who is struggling with her parent's divorce, and how quickly her dad is moving on with his life. Dani would prefer to spend the entire summer hiding in the tiny movie theater in her small town, but instead becomes entangled in a web of lies, mystery and deceit much like all of the Rita Hayworth movies she has been viewing.
What is that old expression - sarcasm is actually repressed More...
What is that old expression - sarcasm is actually repressed More...
Jan 21, 2011
Jenifer
rated it:
I have often felt that most adults completely forget what it was like to be a child or a teen, and lose sight of how the complex emotions work in those age groups. After reading Dani Noir, I feel confident that there are still adults out there who DO remember. I was extremely impressed with Nova Ren Suma's amazing ability to channel the intricate feelings and reactions of a thirteen-year-old going through a difficult time in life. The style is unique and captivating, and the characters genuine.
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Nov 30, 2009
Kate
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Dani Noir was fun read. Dani was this feisty, charming, bluntly honest, thirteen year old protagonist who was definitely the type of people who liked to 'take charge' of things and not wait for things to happen. She does seem quite dramatic at times but I suspect it's due to the fact that she loves watching movies and imagining herself in the movies. I quite liked her bubbly unique personality. Dani's anger and frustrations were understandable and so were her struggles. Her best friend moved awa
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Apr 28, 2011
Alan
rated it:
ATOS Book Level: 4.1
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 7.0
Lexile: 660L
Word Count: 51945
Dani is a thirteen year old girl who loves Film Noir and Rita Hayworth in particular. I don't think this will draw many Middle school kids to this book, but I think Dani's character will as she struggles through the summer before the 8th grade in her small town where nothing happens, as she tries to come to grip with her parents divorce and her dad's new girl More...
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 7.0
Lexile: 660L
Word Count: 51945
Dani is a thirteen year old girl who loves Film Noir and Rita Hayworth in particular. I don't think this will draw many Middle school kids to this book, but I think Dani's character will as she struggles through the summer before the 8th grade in her small town where nothing happens, as she tries to come to grip with her parents divorce and her dad's new girl More...
Jan 10, 2012
Alexandra
rated it:
This is the second book I've read of Nova Ren Suma's and still not a single gripe or complaint.
I really love her writing.
Dani Noir is supposed to be a children's book but I think it leans more toward Young Adult. It can be both. If it absolutely has to be classified as Juvenile, then I think it is more geared towards middle school kids. And very advanced elementary school students, I guess.
The book's main characters are a mix of middle school students and some high school st More...
I really love her writing.
Dani Noir is supposed to be a children's book but I think it leans more toward Young Adult. It can be both. If it absolutely has to be classified as Juvenile, then I think it is more geared towards middle school kids. And very advanced elementary school students, I guess.
The book's main characters are a mix of middle school students and some high school st More...
Nov 27, 2009
Michelle
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This book took me back thirty years. That's a strange statement since this book is set in the 21st century with references to cell phones and the internet. However,as times change adolescence remains the same in many ways.It reminded me of what it's like to be a thirteen year old girl. Dani loves old black and white noir movies and has a vivid imagination. When she happens on a mystery of her own,she (in her own mind) becomes a noir heroine as she seeks to solve the mystery and protect a f More...
Nov 29, 2009
Sandra
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I have several students who would identify with some of Dani’s problems. The one problem that seemed to set the tone for this book was the fact that Dani’s parents are divorced, she lives with mom and is forced to spend some time with her father and his soon to be wife. She lives in a small town that is for all purposes, uninteresting. The most exciting thing for her is watching old movies in the old movie theater. She loves the old black and white films that feature her heroine Rita Haywor
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Sep 21, 2009
Chelsea
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This book has an amazing voice. Thirteen-year-old Dani is funny and charming and always makes you feel like you're right there with her. Right away from the first line--"A slow fade-in on my life:"--her voice totally sucked me in, instantly feeling familiar and fun, like reading a letter from your best friend. I love how she compares her life to noir films while trying to cope with her parents' messy divorce. This book really captured what it feels like to be thirteen--every change tha
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Jan 04, 2010
Sharon
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The first time I heard a synopsis of this book at ILA, I simultaneously thought why haven't I read this book, and why didn't I write this book? Dani Noir is a true-to-life thiteen-year-old heroine, who acts like she's really thirteen: she can be selfish and oblivious, and she lets recent events involving her soon-to-be-divorced parents dictate her worldview. She also loves the old movies she watches at her town's Little Art Theater so much and has such an overactive imagination that she turns h
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Feb 16, 2010
Peter
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Dani is a 13 (ok, almost 14) year old girl with a passion for cinema. She is struggling with her feelings regarding her recently divorced parents, her dad's fiancé, her stepsister-to-be and all other people in her surrounding. While being stuck in her boring little mountain town during summer holidays, she unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of a film noir.
The book is very well written with a good feeling for suspense and it's fun to read if you're a tween girl or (like me) some More...
The book is very well written with a good feeling for suspense and it's fun to read if you're a tween girl or (like me) some More...
Nov 09, 2009
Julia
rated it:
Dani Callanzano is a great 13 year old. The summer before 8th grade is shaping up to be a little rough, her best friend has moved away and her newly divorced parents take some getting used to. Luckily, the town's movie theater, the Little Art, is having a "Summer of Noir" and Dani's enchanted by the old time femme fatales and the air of mystery these movies portray. Soon, real life seems to be imitating art as Dani is on the trail of what may be a mysterious, present day femme fata
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Jul 30, 2011
Nafiza
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I said this initially and I will reiterate: I liked Dani Noir much better than Imaginary Girls if only for the fact that it's less abstract and more cohesive than the latter title. Dani Noir, in shades of melancholy and bewilderment, beautifully explores a girl's struggle to make sense of her parents' divorce. It exquisitely deconstructs the myriad of feelings of a child when she comprehends her father's betrayal. And how the consequences of this betrayal shapes her subsequently. I really liked
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Dec 26, 2009
Abby
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Thirteen-year-old Dani has an awful summer ahead of her. Not only is she dealing with her parents' divorce, but her best friend has moved away and isn't calling her. The only good thing about this summer is that her small town's little movie theatre is showing film noir all summer long. Dani's crazy about the femme fatales and when she senses a mystery brewing in her own town, she knows she has to investigate. Ever since her father betrayed her, Dani doesn't know who to trust - just like in the
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May 11, 2010
Jodysegal
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Thirteen-year-old Dani's love for old-fashioned black and white film noir provides the perfect setting for the loneliness and anger she feels when her father moves in with another woman and her daughter, her best friend leaves town and can't be bothered to call, and Dani discovers that her friend, the movie projectionist, is secretly dating two girls. While her plans to expose him for his lies backfire, in the process, Dani gets a little perspective on her father's behavior. Dani Noir gives this
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Sep 29, 2010
Crowinator
rated it:
I ended up enjoying this children's middle-grade novel once I realized that it wasn't really a mystery. Dani, the titular classic movie-lover (she worships Rita Hayworth) and amateur sleuth, spends the summer trying to figure out if Jackson, the older boy working at the movie theater in their small town, who Dani has connected with over old films, is cheating on his girlfriend. This matters not just because she likes Jackson and his girlfriend, but because Dani's still dealing (or not dealing) w
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Jun 22, 2010
catherine
rated it:
I was drawn to Nova Ren Suma's debut novel DANI NOIR the moment I caught sight of its title and attention-grabbing covers. Thanks to my love of pink, polka dot tights, and noir cinema, I found a new favorite author and another great addition for the keeper shelf.
Dani's having a rough summer dealing with the fallout of her parents' divorce. It's horrible watching her dad move on (and in) with his girlfriend, knowing her best has moved to a town more than an hours' drive away, and feel More...
Dani's having a rough summer dealing with the fallout of her parents' divorce. It's horrible watching her dad move on (and in) with his girlfriend, knowing her best has moved to a town more than an hours' drive away, and feel More...
Aug 09, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
Dani lives in a little town with nothing going for it except a movie theater. The theater shows old movies, her favorites being the ones with Rita Hayworth. Dani likes her movies in black and white, with dramatic backgrounds and a femme fatale.
Her real life is not quite so much fun. Her parents are getting divorced. Her dad has moved in with his new girlfriend and he can't wait for Dani to get to know her soon-to-be stepmother. Dani is not so thrilled. She can't wait to get out of t More...
Her real life is not quite so much fun. Her parents are getting divorced. Her dad has moved in with his new girlfriend and he can't wait for Dani to get to know her soon-to-be stepmother. Dani is not so thrilled. She can't wait to get out of t More...
Jun 30, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
I was drawn to Nova Ren Suma's debut novel, DANI NOIR, the moment I caught sight of its title and attention-grabbing cover. Thanks to my love of pink, polka-dot tights and noir cinema, I found a new favorite author and another great addition for the keeper shelf.
Dani's having a rough summer dealing with the fallout of her parents' divorce. It's horrible watching her dad move on (and in) with his girlfriend, knowing her best friend has m More...
I was drawn to Nova Ren Suma's debut novel, DANI NOIR, the moment I caught sight of its title and attention-grabbing cover. Thanks to my love of pink, polka-dot tights and noir cinema, I found a new favorite author and another great addition for the keeper shelf.
Dani's having a rough summer dealing with the fallout of her parents' divorce. It's horrible watching her dad move on (and in) with his girlfriend, knowing her best friend has m More...
Oct 04, 2009
Eric
rated it: 
I had high expectations for this title. Unfortunately none of them were met. I could not get over how clumsily the film summaries were injected into the narrative. As I read I was constantly taken out of the story by not very good summaries of movies everyone has already seen. Also, what small mountain town can maintain a theater that shows only classic movies? It’s not the 60s and 70s when MOMA was still renting out prints cheaply (and if the Little Arts theater has a platter projector as
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Oct 22, 2009
Steph Su
rated it:
DANI NOIR is a powerfully entertaining and heartfelt middle-grade novel by a talented debut author to keep an eye out for. Dani is pitch-perfect and has ageless appeal, and it’s easy to connect with the issues she faces in this story.
The star of the novel is without a doubt Dani, who’s precocious with her interest in noir films, yet just self-centered enough in that way of preteens to be infuriating and endearing. She may remind you of your best and worst self in middle school—and if More...
The star of the novel is without a doubt Dani, who’s precocious with her interest in noir films, yet just self-centered enough in that way of preteens to be infuriating and endearing. She may remind you of your best and worst self in middle school—and if More...
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Aug 17, 2009
Elizabeth
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 03, 2009
C(h)ristine
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Confession: I am not a tween. I am...uh...I am the age of someone who could be the mother of a tween. But I read this book anyway, with no affinity for noir movies and uh, being outside the age range of the book's audience. I do, however, have an affinity for sharp writing, a voice I can fall in love with, characters I can root for over the span of 100+ pages, and a plot that takes me out of my life and into the life of said characters.
Nova Ren Suma hits it out of the ballpark with More...
Nova Ren Suma hits it out of the ballpark with More...
Dec 25, 2009
William
rated it:
A very enjoyable, vampire-free novel about Dani Callanzo's coming to terms with her parents' divorce, mostly by distracting herself with the strange behavior of her town's teen-aged film projectionist. With so many distractions available to them in other media, I wonder if teenagers will ever again have a believable appreciation of Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner as Dani does here, but Nova Ren Suma makes small-town life and its minor dramas both realistic and enjoyable for as long as the ride la
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