Beth is a lucky girl... She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She al...
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Dec 14, 2011
Liyana
rated it: 
This story is in fact, about a 16 year old girl named Beth. She's smart, has 3 best friends and seems to have a prefect life: surfing, lounging, hanging out with friends etc.
But that's all on the outside, and we all know how much looks can be deceiving. For Beth is deeply unhappy inside, having to come to terms with her parents' divorce and her eating disorder while pretending that everything's A-okay.
With every dark cloud, there's a silver lining (What's with me and all the More...
But that's all on the outside, and we all know how much looks can be deceiving. For Beth is deeply unhappy inside, having to come to terms with her parents' divorce and her eating disorder while pretending that everything's A-okay.
With every dark cloud, there's a silver lining (What's with me and all the More...
Dec 02, 2011
Liralen
rated it:
I do not give one-star reviews lightly. I decided to read this because it had so many positive reviews, but it took about, umm, a page and a half for me to start wondering what I'd gotten myself into, and I barely made it past that terrible text-message exchange. (Technically, I didn't make it past that; I had to put the book down for a few months until I felt strong enough to make it all the way through.) In retrospect, that probably is pretty close to how immature teenagers text each other, bu
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Oct 29, 2009
Jennifer
rated it: 
This is the story of four teenage best friends who decide the way to happiness and popularity is paved by losing weight. They decide to restrict their food intake eating only a pieces of fruit and water at meals. Two of the four girls have deep seated reasons, other than popularity for losing weight. Beth has issues with her Dad and Rachael has issues with her Mom. Jenny is the best friend who will do anything to support her friends and Melanie is the "Mom" of the group.
Alt More...
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Oct 04, 2009
Lexie
rated it:
It wouldn't be an exaggeration for me to say that I deal with teenagers everyday. My younger sister is sixteen, just entering eleventh grade and has a large passel of friends that I've seen grow up for the last decade. Almost every day brings a new phone call or text message from my sister (and on occasion her friends) asking my advice, or venting or just needing someone to talk to. Its the burden of an older sibling at times. So please believe me when I say, the issues that Beth (and her friend
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Oct 01, 2009
cherise
rated it: 
Whether you have a daughter or not, "Dancing With Ana" by Nicole Barker, is a must read. Beth Baxter is a 16 year old whose father has abandoned her a year ago. Now at 15 years old, a girl is young, impressionable, and still struggling to find herself, so Beth is having an extra hard time dealing with her father leaving. Needing a distraction, Beth decides to focus on losing 10 pounds through a new diet.
Luckily Beth has three best friends who join her and they all decide to d More...
Luckily Beth has three best friends who join her and they all decide to d More...
Sep 21, 2009
From www.mrsmagooreads.com
Title: Dancing with Ana
Author: Nicole Barker
Grade: B+
Ideal Audience: Girls, 12-17
Summary: When Beth decides that she wants to lose ten pounds or so, the idea of dieting seems perfect: it will give her some degree of control in her life, which was turned upside down when her father left her family a year ago. After her three close friends Jenny, Rachel, and Melanie decide to join her, Beth is eager to begin her new venture and start dro More...
Title: Dancing with Ana
Author: Nicole Barker
Grade: B+
Ideal Audience: Girls, 12-17
Summary: When Beth decides that she wants to lose ten pounds or so, the idea of dieting seems perfect: it will give her some degree of control in her life, which was turned upside down when her father left her family a year ago. After her three close friends Jenny, Rachel, and Melanie decide to join her, Beth is eager to begin her new venture and start dro More...
Sep 20, 2009
Mishel
rated it: 
Beth and her three best friends have decided to go on a diet after admiring one of the prettiest girls in school. Maybe they should lose a couple of pounds… The girls decide to go on a diet. They’ll cut back on what they eat, drink a lot more water to stay full, and stick together. Losing the extra baggage will not only make them look and feel better but they’ll get way more attention.
But the diet turns into something far worse, especially for Beth. She’s already having a tough time More...
But the diet turns into something far worse, especially for Beth. She’s already having a tough time More...
Sep 18, 2009
Pratima
rated it:
I had never experimented with YA genre so far coz I felt it's just not my type and wouldn't hold my interest for long enough to finish reading the entire book. But when Nicole Barker mailed me asking if I would be interested in reviewing this one, I just jumped at it and agreed! The short synopsis and the cover page were enough to draw my attention to this one and I was surprised that I absolutely loved the book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The book is about 16 year old Beth, wh More...
The book is about 16 year old Beth, wh More...
Sep 13, 2009
Debbie
rated it:
This book was a really quick and enjoyable read. We start off seeing Beth and her 3 friends are making plans to diet in hopes of becoming as pretty as the most popular girl in their school. Beth sees it also as a way to make herself happier after having to deal with her father first having an affair, leaving their family and then finally skipping out on his weekends with Beth and her brother. One of Beth’s friends is also dealing with a mom who is more concerned with her boyfriends than her
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Sep 06, 2009
Sherrie
rated it:
"Dancing With Ana" by Nicole Barker
(from the back cover)
Beth is a lucky girl....She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes...Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?
MY THOUGHTS: This is a v More...
(from the back cover)
Beth is a lucky girl....She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes...Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?
MY THOUGHTS: This is a v More...
Sep 06, 2009
Susan
rated it: 
Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker is the story of four teenage girls who decide that they could be perfectly happy in life if they lost about 10 lbs. each. Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:
Beth is a lucky girl...She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes... Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to b More...
Beth is a lucky girl...She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes... Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to b More...
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Aug 30, 2009
Cheryl
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Melanie, Rachel, Jenny and Beth are good friends. They all attend the same high school. They were all sitting around during lunch commenting on Christine McCady and how great she looks. The girls are jealous and decide that they are going to all go on a diet.
Besides keeping busy with dieting and school, Beth has found herself occupied with a certain boy. Jeremy and Beth grew up together. Jeremy lives across the street. It wasn’t till recently when they both started to see each other More...
Besides keeping busy with dieting and school, Beth has found herself occupied with a certain boy. Jeremy and Beth grew up together. Jeremy lives across the street. It wasn’t till recently when they both started to see each other More...
Aug 23, 2009
In sunny Florida, where more skin is bared than not, appearances are constantly evaluated, especially by the young. Among those doing the evaluating is Beth Baxter, a smart, pretty and confident high school student who is falling in love with her neighbour, Jeremy Duscana. She seems like she should have it all together, and that makes her descent into weight-loss obsession more intriguing to follow in “Dancing With Ana“.
One day over lunch, Beth and her closest girlfriends – Rachel, Mel More...
One day over lunch, Beth and her closest girlfriends – Rachel, Mel More...
Aug 19, 2009
Joemmama
rated it:
A guest post from my Granddaughter, Vamp~Child (11)
A book of love and an anorexic teen, that teaches that we shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies. It started out with four friends wanting to drop a few pounds, but turns chaotic when it makes them weak and unhealthy, which results in everyone but Beth to quit on their diet, while at the same time making Beth anorexic, because it seemed that it was the only thing she could control after her parents get divorced. But the care and love of he More...
A book of love and an anorexic teen, that teaches that we shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies. It started out with four friends wanting to drop a few pounds, but turns chaotic when it makes them weak and unhealthy, which results in everyone but Beth to quit on their diet, while at the same time making Beth anorexic, because it seemed that it was the only thing she could control after her parents get divorced. But the care and love of he More...
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Aug 17, 2009
Katrina
rated it:
This book is about a group of teen girls who decide they should go on a diet and get to their ideal weight. They use the Internet to find the weight range medical professionals believe is healthy and they aim for the lowest number on the chart for each of their heights.
Most of the girls have other things going on in their lives that make things hectic. One girl is dealing with the recent divorce of her parents and the subsequent lack of a father figure in her life. Another of the girls More...
Most of the girls have other things going on in their lives that make things hectic. One girl is dealing with the recent divorce of her parents and the subsequent lack of a father figure in her life. Another of the girls More...
Aug 12, 2009
Witchbaby
rated it:
To start off - Ana is anorexia. It is the desire to be in complete and total control over "something" in a persons life, the more awkward the social setting the more likely that need for control come into play. I've had many friends in my life flirt with "ana" - though most of the people in my life tend to eat their emotions rather than purge.
Beth’s life appears to be perfect - she has great friends, a great body, and a cute boy who likes her. There's only one pr More...
Beth’s life appears to be perfect - she has great friends, a great body, and a cute boy who likes her. There's only one pr More...
Aug 10, 2009
Heather
rated it:
Dancing with Ana
Genre: Young Adult
Beth’s life is perfect. She has what every high school girl wants: great friends, a great body, and a cute boy who likes her…except that it’s only on the surface. Underneath everything her life is a mess. Her parents are divorced and the loss of her father is eating at her slowly. She begins to not enjoy the things that she used to and becomes fixated on losing weight. Everyone around her is worried about her. Will she be able to re More...
Genre: Young Adult
Beth’s life is perfect. She has what every high school girl wants: great friends, a great body, and a cute boy who likes her…except that it’s only on the surface. Underneath everything her life is a mess. Her parents are divorced and the loss of her father is eating at her slowly. She begins to not enjoy the things that she used to and becomes fixated on losing weight. Everyone around her is worried about her. Will she be able to re More...
Aug 10, 2009
Valorie
rated it:
Beth and her three friends Jenny, Rachel, and Melanie decide to go on a diet together. They are your typical high school girls, interested in boys, looking pretty, and each with their own troubles as everyone has. The girls go in on a diet pact in order to give support to one another, and each one has a goal weight that she wants to achieve. Beth, the novel’s main character, first begins the diet with exercise and a minimal healthy diet. But soon into the diet, it becomes an obsession for he
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Aug 09, 2009
Tara
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 07, 2009
Dixie
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Beth is a lucky girl…
She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she’s grown up with has the most amazing green eyes…
Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed.
Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?
Sixteen year old Beth Baxter’s life merely resembles the one she’s always known. More...
Aug 07, 2009
Christine
rated it:
Dancing With Ana by Nicole Barker would definitely fall under the young adult category when being shelved at the bookstore, but I believe any parent of a teenage girl would benefit from reading this story of friendship, despair, love and acceptance. The story focuses on 16 year old Beth and her three best friends – Rachel, Jenny and Melanie. The girls have different personalities and come from different home lives but this seems to bring them closer together as each girl has a place in the group
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Aug 22, 2009
Lilibeth
rated it:
Beth has four best friends, a mother who cares more attentively since her dad left them, and a quirky brother. Beth decides to go on a diet one day because she supposedly wants to look like the most popular girl in school, but is that really the reason she chooses to starve herself? And worry everyone who cares about her deeply? I think not. And if Beth looked a bit deeper into her conscience she would see it, too. However, with her own friends going through their own transitions, they still sup
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Aug 19, 2009
Melody
rated it:
Life suppose to be good for Beth and her three best friends - Rachel, Melanie and Jenny, but deep in their hearts they knew they would have more confidence and feel happier if they could look like fellow schoolmate, Christine McCady as she is beautiful and has a perfect figure. So they came up with a plan: they would starve themselves to make them look good.
In the beginning, the girls are very determined with the plan and they supported one another but after a while, all the girls dr More...
In the beginning, the girls are very determined with the plan and they supported one another but after a while, all the girls dr More...
Aug 02, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
I received this book from the author for review. It is only 170 pages, so it is a very quick read. I was very intrigued by the premise of the story and, overall, I did enjoy the book. With that I said, I also felt that the characters and the story could have been fleshed out more and the book could have been much longer. I felt that I only got a cursory glance into these girls lives and I wanted to know more!! The story was just too quick for me!
The author changed viewpoints quite a More...
The author changed viewpoints quite a More...
Sep 10, 2009
Sheree
rated it:
4.5 stars
Dancing With Ana is a touching read told from the heart with a teen voice.
Beth, Rachel, Melanie and Jenny have been best friends since they were little. These normal, very real girls from varying backgrounds struggle with real issues that affect many teens today. They aren't just characters in a book, they could very well be the girls next door. This story is about friendship, not just the girls' friendship but the friendship between Beth and Jeremy which is blos More...
Dancing With Ana is a touching read told from the heart with a teen voice.
Beth, Rachel, Melanie and Jenny have been best friends since they were little. These normal, very real girls from varying backgrounds struggle with real issues that affect many teens today. They aren't just characters in a book, they could very well be the girls next door. This story is about friendship, not just the girls' friendship but the friendship between Beth and Jeremy which is blos More...
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Feb 19, 2010
Ziaria
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This was a quick read for me, taking only a few hours of my afternoon. For the most part it was an enjoyable afternoon read considering the subject is such a difficult one to read about. I do think it's an important subject however. To see how easily one goes from just trying to lose a few pounds to not recognizing themselves in the mirror. It was sad to see Beth change so drastically in such a short time frame. Hard to see how the disease crawled it's way into her life and took control of her.
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Aug 24, 2009
Crystal
rated it:
What can I say about this book. First I read it in one sitting. As in told my DH to wait to go out to eat so I could finish it. I honestly couldn't put it down. Second, I have often said in reviews that the characters feel real in a book. That's how Beth and her friends are in this book. Ms. Barker has the teenagers pegged, nothing sounded contrived, all their actions made sense in the context of them being teenagers. The problems, conflicts, emotions and actions were very typical of tee
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Jan 03, 2010
IslandGirl
rated it:
I must say I was really surprised by this book and thought it was a good read, not just for the YA crowd but for parents as well. It really touches on topics that teenagers deal with such as anorexia, peer pressure, changing family structures and friendship! It also touched on the issue of "cutting" but didn't go into too much detail.
The story centers around Beth, her three best friends and their quest to loose 10 pounds so they can be pretty and popular.
I lik More...
The story centers around Beth, her three best friends and their quest to loose 10 pounds so they can be pretty and popular.
I lik More...
Sep 23, 2009
Trisha
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. It took me until almost the end of the book to get the title. All I kept thinking was that there was no one named Ana in the book. But the title, to me, means Dancing with Anorexia.
This book was very well written. It tells of the struggles the girls go through. Either with family, or their own self image. I liked this book because instead of making losing weight and cutting the main focus, the author also explains what the girls go through. Dizziness, being tire More...
This book was very well written. It tells of the struggles the girls go through. Either with family, or their own self image. I liked this book because instead of making losing weight and cutting the main focus, the author also explains what the girls go through. Dizziness, being tire More...
Aug 17, 2009
Kristen
rated it:
I really was pulled into the story from the start. It's mainly about Beth and her three best friends. They admire one of the prettiest girls at school, who stays thin by not eating. The girls decide to all go on a diet, but it turns into something worse than that. Especially for Beth.
Beth's dad has left her mom, her brother and her for his secretary. This book deals with divorce, teen sex, underage drinking, relationships, cutting, and much much more.
The only thing was that t More...
Beth's dad has left her mom, her brother and her for his secretary. This book deals with divorce, teen sex, underage drinking, relationships, cutting, and much much more.
The only thing was that t More...
