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Stepping Up
by
When life gets tough, you’ve got to step up.
Surrounded by good friends and able to indulge her passion for dance, Jenna’s life seems perfect. But when her dad loses his job, everything changes. Rather than quit dancing, Jenna scrambles to find a way to pay her own tuition. Unfortunately, she soon finds that starting her own business is more than she bargained for. Can she ...more
Surrounded by good friends and able to indulge her passion for dance, Jenna’s life seems perfect. But when her dad loses his job, everything changes. Rather than quit dancing, Jenna scrambles to find a way to pay her own tuition. Unfortunately, she soon finds that starting her own business is more than she bargained for. Can she ...more
Paperback, 146 pages
Published
March 6th 2016
by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
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Stepping Up is a story about hope, determination, and most of all, friendship. It’s about a girl, Jenna, who loves to dance. Jazz, ballet, hip-hop… She takes several classes at a local dance school and loves every moment of it (even when dealing with Moira, her top rival.)
As the story begins, Jenna’s dance lessons become threatened when her dad is laid off from work. No longer able to afford her lessons, her parents tell her she will have to quit.
Jenna, is of course, devastated. I would be, too, ...more
As the story begins, Jenna’s dance lessons become threatened when her dad is laid off from work. No longer able to afford her lessons, her parents tell her she will have to quit.
Jenna, is of course, devastated. I would be, too, ...more

Mar 18, 2016
Maggie Larche
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
READERS' FAVORITE REVIEW By Anne-Marie Reynolds
Stepping Up (True Girls) (Volume 3) by Maggie M Larche is the third in a series of preteen novels. Jenna has what seems to be the perfect life. One day something happens to change everything; her father loses his job. That means there is no money for the extras in life, like Jenna’s dance classes. Rather than give them up, she comes up with a way to earn the money to pay for them herself. She decides to start her own dance class for young children. ...more
Stepping Up (True Girls) (Volume 3) by Maggie M Larche is the third in a series of preteen novels. Jenna has what seems to be the perfect life. One day something happens to change everything; her father loses his job. That means there is no money for the extras in life, like Jenna’s dance classes. Rather than give them up, she comes up with a way to earn the money to pay for them herself. She decides to start her own dance class for young children. ...more

Maggie Larche has written several books about kids of middle school age, and I think this one is my favorite.
Jenna loves dance. It's her favorite thing. But when her father suddenly loses his job, she realizes that her expensive dance lessons are a luxury their family can no longer afford. So, taking a cue from her older brother, she decides to earn extra money on the side by giving very young girls the benefit of her experience.
While this story is very much about being enterprising and adapting ...more
Jenna loves dance. It's her favorite thing. But when her father suddenly loses his job, she realizes that her expensive dance lessons are a luxury their family can no longer afford. So, taking a cue from her older brother, she decides to earn extra money on the side by giving very young girls the benefit of her experience.
While this story is very much about being enterprising and adapting ...more

Every now and then, I like to step back into middle school. Reading Stepping Up by Maggie M. Larche took me right back to being a 12 year old girl learning the ins and outs of friendship, autonomy, and navigating those rocky (and sometimes self-absorbed) waters of adolescence.
In Stepping Up, the main character Jenna is faced with the reality of what her dance lessons actually cost when her dad loses his long-held job. The family is faced with cutting back on non-necessities, and even though Jenn ...more
In Stepping Up, the main character Jenna is faced with the reality of what her dance lessons actually cost when her dad loses his long-held job. The family is faced with cutting back on non-necessities, and even though Jenn ...more

THIS INSPIRING STORY IS SURE TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOUNG READERS
This encouraging tween girl book is written with relevant, straightforward prose and has plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep readers involved. The spirited main character is engaged in relationships with several other diverse characters, rich with humor and insight, including best friends, rivals and first crushes.
But perhaps more importantly, this inspiring story covers several significant themes for young girls. It int ...more
This encouraging tween girl book is written with relevant, straightforward prose and has plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep readers involved. The spirited main character is engaged in relationships with several other diverse characters, rich with humor and insight, including best friends, rivals and first crushes.
But perhaps more importantly, this inspiring story covers several significant themes for young girls. It int ...more

“Stepping Up” follows Jenna Marlow, a feisty girl of twelve whose love of dance takes a blow when her father loses his job and the family must cut costs—including Jenna’s dance lessons. Determined to not give up on her dreams of being the best dancer at class, Jenna decides to put on her entrepreneurial hat and earn her tuition by holding dance lessons for younger kids. In the process Jenna discovers the value of friendship, family, and even romance with her brother’s best friend.
This was a swee ...more
This was a swee ...more

A wonderful read for kids/tweens of all ages. In Stepping Up, Jenna is a surprisingly mature and driven student. After discovering her father lost his job, she is quick to determine that she needs to to step up her game in order to continue pursuing her passion for dance. All of a sudden, tossing herself into entrepreneurship, she tries to raise the funds to cover her tuition.
A wonderful role model, Jenna demonstrates that by being determined, following your passions with hard work and dedicatio ...more
A wonderful role model, Jenna demonstrates that by being determined, following your passions with hard work and dedicatio ...more

Dance lessons are how much? Jenna Marlow's peaceful life and love of dance are disrupted when her father loses his job. Her beloved dance lessons become a luxury their family now can't afford. But, spurred on by her brother's attempts to raise money to pay for his own karate lessons, Jenna finds more creative ways to raise the money she needs.
We really enjoyed reading about Jenna and her friends. The story is very well written and easily draws the reader in. The characters and dialogue are reali ...more
We really enjoyed reading about Jenna and her friends. The story is very well written and easily draws the reader in. The characters and dialogue are reali ...more

When Jenna’s dad loses his job, the family has to cut back on extras. Faced with losing her beloved dance classes, Jenna has to figure out a way to pay for them herself.
She decides to start a dance class for pre-schoolers but soon discovers it’s easier said than done. Eventually she breaks down and tells her closest friends about her dad, and they unite to help Jenna.
Stepping Up is a story about life’s unexpected turns, and how we deal with them. It’s the story of a 12-year-old who takes her f ...more
She decides to start a dance class for pre-schoolers but soon discovers it’s easier said than done. Eventually she breaks down and tells her closest friends about her dad, and they unite to help Jenna.
Stepping Up is a story about life’s unexpected turns, and how we deal with them. It’s the story of a 12-year-old who takes her f ...more

What a great book! I don't usually read middle grade, so I was quite surprised that I loved it as much as I did. The story is one of friendship, struggle, responsibility, and learning to focus on others instead of just yourself and your own problems.
The characters are as smart and enterprising as they are likable and entertaining. Jenna and her friends have real, believable camaraderie and her brother is hilarious. The description is clear- I could see the entire story playing out in my head as ...more
The characters are as smart and enterprising as they are likable and entertaining. Jenna and her friends have real, believable camaraderie and her brother is hilarious. The description is clear- I could see the entire story playing out in my head as ...more

I lOVED this book! I have to admit, I'm not usually a fan of long chapter books, but this one kept my interest & was an enjoyable read. I felt sucked into the story as if I were there...a part of every dance move & step:-) A beautiful & relatable storyline about family & friendship.
...more
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Maggie M. Larche loves to sing, read, and swing right alongside her kids. All of her stories feature courageous, smart, funny kids, because that's who her readers are!
She is the author of the award-winning Striker Jones series, a groundbreaking approach to teach economics to children through mystery stories.
Join her mailing list at www.maggiemlarche.com and get a free download of her new hilarious ...more
She is the author of the award-winning Striker Jones series, a groundbreaking approach to teach economics to children through mystery stories.
Join her mailing list at www.maggiemlarche.com and get a free download of her new hilarious ...more
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