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15th out of 38 books
—
11 voters
The Dancing Pancake
DELICIOUS PANCAKES!!
FREE!!
ALL YOU CAN EAT!!
COME TO OUR
NEW GRAND OPENING!
The grand opening of the Dancing Pancake isn't the only new thing in Bindi's life: new friends, a new apartment, maybe even a cute new crush? But there are other changes, like her dad's move to a new city, that have left Bindi confused and wondering: What will happen to my family? Will this new life ev...more
FREE!!
ALL YOU CAN EAT!!
COME TO OUR
NEW GRAND OPENING!
The grand opening of the Dancing Pancake isn't the only new thing in Bindi's life: new friends, a new apartment, maybe even a cute new crush? But there are other changes, like her dad's move to a new city, that have left Bindi confused and wondering: What will happen to my family? Will this new life ev...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
May 11th 2010
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
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The Dancing Pancake is the restaurant Bindi's mother and aunt open after her parents separate and her father has left the house. It requires Bindi and her mother to move into the apartment above the new restaurant; the restaurant, however, is still in their town so it doesn't require Bindi to change schools or move away from any of her friends.
Written in Spinelli's trademark free verse, there are some great characters in The Dancing Pancake: Bindi's friend Albert who is obsessed with bugs, Grace...more
Written in Spinelli's trademark free verse, there are some great characters in The Dancing Pancake: Bindi's friend Albert who is obsessed with bugs, Grace...more
This is a really good book. I'm not sure what to say because I don't want to include a spoiler of any kind. I read the first two pages at reading group and had to take it home. I finished in the next morning. Many children 8-12 will be able to relate to at least some part of this book. Mostly girls since the main character is a girl, but some boys would be able to read it too as the best friend is a boy who loved bugs. This is a tender story and oh so relevant to so much of today's society.
I am...more
I am...more
2.5/5
Lately I have really been enjoying novels in verse, but this one just didn't do it for me. Yes there were funny moments, touching and moving moments but what drove me crazy was the notion that kids are too young to understand grown up stuff.
Bindi's life is in an upheaval. Her Dad left and her and her Mom are moving into an apartment above the Dancing Pancake, the diner that her Aunt and Mom are opening. Bindi has to learn to deal with her parents separation and new surroundings. In this pro...more
Lately I have really been enjoying novels in verse, but this one just didn't do it for me. Yes there were funny moments, touching and moving moments but what drove me crazy was the notion that kids are too young to understand grown up stuff.
Bindi's life is in an upheaval. Her Dad left and her and her Mom are moving into an apartment above the Dancing Pancake, the diner that her Aunt and Mom are opening. Bindi has to learn to deal with her parents separation and new surroundings. In this pro...more
This book is just so lovely and succinct. It's a little younger than I usually enjoy, but I picked it up for my second grader and became enthralled. The voice of the main character, a 10 year old girl is so real and the sketch drawings are perfect. The book covers some serious things without being serious and sad things without being sad. It's just my favorite thing when I come across unexpected wonder in a novel. This is why I read. And it's written in free verse, like this:
Later Albert and I w...more
Later Albert and I w...more
Bindi is struggling with life. Her parents are separated for reasons she doesn't understand. She is good friends with a couple girls and a boy, but the dynamics of the friendships seem to be undergoing a change. Her mother join her aunt and uncle in opening a cafe called The Dancing Pancake. All of these things together require her to move out of the house she has always known into an apartment over the restaurant. As she comes to terms with all the changes surrounding her, Bindi grows up and re...more
Bindi is facing a lot of changes in her life. First, her father has left their family to find a job in another city. A few months later, she learns that her parents have separated. Now her mother and her aunt are starting a restaurant called The Dancing Pancake. They will be moving into the apartment above the restaurant and out of their house. As all of these changes hit, Bindi finds herself feeling sad and angry about them. People at the restaurant and her extended family help her deal with he...more
My 12 year old commented that she isn't really used to books written in free verse, but that she really liked this one.
It's less verse more than it is broken down into short sections rather than chapters and they read well. Bindi is a believable girl. Her anger at her parents' separation, at the way her life is turned upside down by leaving her home to move into an apartment above her mother and aunt's new restaurant, her confusions over her feelings, are all very real. The minor characters are...more
It's less verse more than it is broken down into short sections rather than chapters and they read well. Bindi is a believable girl. Her anger at her parents' separation, at the way her life is turned upside down by leaving her home to move into an apartment above her mother and aunt's new restaurant, her confusions over her feelings, are all very real. The minor characters are...more
This book starts out as a school story with the narrator, 11-yr-old Bindi, talking about her good friend Albert who knows everything about bugs, and a new girl Kyra who she's been asked to show around and help adjust to life at school, since she's only been home-schooled before. She plays an April Fool's joke on the principal and is tricked by one in return. But then the first scene of her dad driving away becomes more important when she learns that her parents have separated and she and her mom...more
It seems being a talented author is a must in the Spinelli houshold! (though, I didn't know Eileen was Jerry Spinelli's wife until I read her author bio at the end of the book!)
I originally checked this book out from the library to see if it was a book I could read to my kids before rest time. I wouldn't read it to my 4 and 5 year olds, but it was a good book none the less. I really liked the style Mrs. Spinelli picked to write this book in, as if the book was made up of a ton of small poems. It...more
I originally checked this book out from the library to see if it was a book I could read to my kids before rest time. I wouldn't read it to my 4 and 5 year olds, but it was a good book none the less. I really liked the style Mrs. Spinelli picked to write this book in, as if the book was made up of a ton of small poems. It...more
I'm not always a fan of books in verse, but this one flows very nicely and I think it does a good job of representing Bindi, the main characther's process of thinking. It unveils the different things going on in her head at once and her transformation. I liked how the main character grew and even though she was dealing with a lot, she was eventually able to realize that other people were having problems as well and could empathize with them. I think Bindi is a very relatable character especially...more
Bindi's life seems to be a continuous roller coaster of change. Her mom and dad have separated, she and her mom are moving, her friends are all leaving for the summer, and her mom is opening a pancake shop called the Dancing Pancake. Despite having to go through some difficult changes, Bindi learns that sometimes it isn't all about you...sometimes you need to think about others.
Besides the sweet message and tone of the book, the best thing about the book is that it is all written in verse and ha...more
Besides the sweet message and tone of the book, the best thing about the book is that it is all written in verse and ha...more
So who wouldn't want to pick up a book with a title like this one?
Someone who didn't like novels in verse, I guess.
Still, I'm not one of those people. So I liked it--and what's not to like about just about anything the Spinellis do?
Bindi's best friend is named Albert. He knows bugs.
"'Okay,' he says, 'So, did you know
a cockroach can live for nine days
without its head?'
I'd like to live without my head
right now."
(30)(She's upset because her parents are going through a separation.)
She makes f...more
Someone who didn't like novels in verse, I guess.
Still, I'm not one of those people. So I liked it--and what's not to like about just about anything the Spinellis do?
Bindi's best friend is named Albert. He knows bugs.
"'Okay,' he says, 'So, did you know
a cockroach can live for nine days
without its head?'
I'd like to live without my head
right now."
(30)(She's upset because her parents are going through a separation.)
She makes f...more
There's something about Eileen Spinelli's writing that I just love. I can't put my finger on what exactly the quality is, just...something. She has a way of writing quiet little stories that have heart and hope. Her book Where I Live ranks among my top 10 favorites of all-time for kids, and now she has The Dancing Pancake, in the same vein. It's just a lovely little piece of work.
Bindi's life is in an upheaval right now. Her dad has moved out, and now she and her mom and moving from their home t...more
Bindi's life is in an upheaval right now. Her dad has moved out, and now she and her mom and moving from their home t...more
I've read many books by Jerry Spinelli. This is the first book I've read by his wife. This was a wonderful book to read. Written in verse this is the story of Bindi and her family. When Bindi's mom opens "The Dancing Pancake" with her aunt, and moves them into an apartment above the restaurant, Bindi learns life lessons she might not have learned. She must learn to deal with her parent's separation. While learning how to deal with this and other changes, she learns that other people around her h...more
I gave this such a harsh rating because it was just okay. I wanted it to be better. A novel told in verse, with funny moments, but dealing mostly with heavier issues like parents separating and homelessness. Spinelli did a good job of keeping the story light, but at times I thought more could be explained.
Short read, but I don't think kids will pick it up and just absolutely love it. For those kids going through things similar to Bindi (parents separating) this book deserves a massive gold star....more
Short read, but I don't think kids will pick it up and just absolutely love it. For those kids going through things similar to Bindi (parents separating) this book deserves a massive gold star....more
This is a story told in free verse about Bindi and her summer of discontent. And when you are 11 and your parents are separating and you have to move to a small apartment, there isn't much to smile about. Mrs. Spinelli has a way that puts you right inside the mind of her characters, I felt like I was there with Bindi, good times and bad. This is a sweet story about family and friendship, but it deals with some heavy issues like divorce and homelessness. I love free verse novels and I love how Ei...more
This book is obviously for kids, but I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. Great ending message, good morals. The only beef I have with it is the fact that the principle of the school thought that Myra (the ex-homeschooler) was reading too much and wasn't 'socializing' enough! THAT ANNOYS ME SO MUCH. Igh.
Anywho, if you're looking for a book that--for once--has the kid learn something when they go to church, or the story of a girl who gets really angry but learns how to think of others, then this is for...more
Anywho, if you're looking for a book that--for once--has the kid learn something when they go to church, or the story of a girl who gets really angry but learns how to think of others, then this is for...more
Jessica Mitchell, 11
The Dancing Pancake
3.5 stars
This book wasn't my favorite. I guess its my fault that I didn't like it because when i checked it out of the library I didn't check to see what kind of writing it was. I was expecting it to be a novel, not little poems in the form of a story.
This story was very, very unrealistic. Name the number of stories you've read where the main character, usually a girl is sad about her parents getting divorced. Then, the couple gets back together? Usually b...more
The Dancing Pancake
3.5 stars
This book wasn't my favorite. I guess its my fault that I didn't like it because when i checked it out of the library I didn't check to see what kind of writing it was. I was expecting it to be a novel, not little poems in the form of a story.
This story was very, very unrealistic. Name the number of stories you've read where the main character, usually a girl is sad about her parents getting divorced. Then, the couple gets back together? Usually b...more
The title sounded cute, but the idea of poetry had me putting this one off for a while. Glancing through, it looked like almost 200 pages of short poems. Gah! I didn't want that. But it was due the next day, so I finally plunged into it. Completely different from what I thought. It's a novel in free verse. (How did that end up in the Poetry nominees and not the Children's Fiction when the free verse YA novel ended up in YA Fiction and not Poetry? Oh well.)
I thought Bindi was a charming characte...more
I thought Bindi was a charming characte...more
The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli is a novel told in verse about eleven year old Bindi trying to cope with her life being turned upside down. Her parents are separated and she and her mother are moving into an apartment over a restaurant which her mother is running the restaurant with a family friend.
While I enjoyed the free verse style of story telling, the plot seemed rather derivative. There seems to be a glut of stories about single parents (usually mothers) running catering companies (...more
While I enjoyed the free verse style of story telling, the plot seemed rather derivative. There seems to be a glut of stories about single parents (usually mothers) running catering companies (...more
This was a really sweet but also very contemporary middle school novel. Bindi's world changes when her dad gets laid off from his job and after a while seperates from her mom and her and moves out. Bindi's mom can't afford the house and soon they move to an apartment above the small restaurant that her mom and aunt open-The Dancing Pancake. Family problems, the economic downturn, friendship issues,a hoomeless character-it sounds sad but its a hopeful story with a hopeful ending and lovable chara...more
Bindi's life is changing and not for the better if you ask her. Her dad has left. She thought to look for work, but no. Bindi's mom finally admits they have separated. Aunt Darnell loses her job and wants to open her own restaurant. The Dancing Pancake becomes a reality, but Bindi isn't sure if she likes this new direction her life is taking.
What I thought: I loved it! The Dancing Pancake touched on some many pertinent issues for today's kids without being depressing or sad. This is the type of...more
What I thought: I loved it! The Dancing Pancake touched on some many pertinent issues for today's kids without being depressing or sad. This is the type of...more
Children don't have a say. Bindi knows this, but that doesn't stop her from being mad at her dad for leaving. It doesn't stop her from worrying about moving. And it certainly doesn't stop her from trying to help.
I love the character of Bindi and the rhythmic way Eileen Spinellli tells Bindi's story. Kid's will identify with Bindi's emotions, fears and even how she deals with her annoying little cousin, Jackson.
The Dancing Pancake is my new favorite place to hang out!
This was an interesting, but very oddly written book. It is a beehive book and written as a junior fiction but is listed as a poetry book. It is written in poetry format but you won't find rhythm or rhyme. It was a story about a young girl who's parents separated and she moved above the new restaurant her mom was running called "The Dancing Pancake". The characters were well created and I loved the parts about a homeless woman named Grace. The story was really good but, again, odd format.
This was a good book. It was a very fast read for me, and I am just a 7th grader. A little young but that doesn't draw away from it. It is still very worth reading, just probably don't do a middleschool book report on it.. it isn't very challenging. It was good though. It was a good story in it, about a girl who's parents split up and so they made a breakfast-y restaurant called...you guessed it, the dancing pancake. Good.
This book was very interesting. It is written in free verse poetry. I ended up really liking that because the story was concise without all the detail that I get bored with.There were a lot of good lessons in this story. The only problem was the way it ended. I think she missed out on teaching a really good lesson and making it applicable to a lot of kids who are going through similar things.
The dancing pancake is about a 6th grade girl whose world is turned upside down when her dad loses his job and eventually her parents separate due to the toll it takes on their marriage. She is devastated to find out that they have to move and angry that no one asks her before making these decisions. Eventually she learns how to cope and adjusts. Written in verse, it is a quick and charming read.
A book in verse that is not dark or serious is a welcome read. I loved Inside Out and Back again and Out of the Dust - both beautifully written. But I also love Bindi and her community in the Dancing Pancake. Bindi faces some difficult life lessons about her parents evolving lives and a homeless customer in a realistic way. I loved compact format of the book and drawings.
Nov 17, 2010
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
older children and parents reading with them
This is a wonderful book in an intersting format - instead of chapters, the book is broken up into a series of what I imagine are journal entries with titles. While it's considered a novel in verse, I didn't really see it as poetry, just little snippets of her life. It lays bare all of the emotion and confusion of being an eleven-year-old preteen amidst a series of life-changing events: separation of her parents, moving, new job for her mom, etc.
I love that she is a library helper and loves to r...more
I love that she is a library helper and loves to r...more
I have always enjoyed stories in verse and I really enjoyed this story as well. It looks as though Bindi has a difficult summer ahead. Her parents have recently separated and she and her mother are moving to an apartment over a cafe, the Dancing Pancake. Bindi's mother and her aunt are opening this cafe. Bindi learns a lot over the summer. This is a very sweet book.
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Eileen Spinelli, wife of famed children's author Jerry Spinelli, is an award winning children's book author from southeastern Pennsylvania.
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Jun 08, 2012 10:11pm