Winnie Dancing on Her Own

Winnie Fletcher #1

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, alissa imre geis (Illustrator)

Winnie is worried when her best friends Zoe and Vanessa enroll her in ballet classes with them, since she would rather go to the library and read like they always do. Reprint.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Jennifer has spent three decades writing award-winning fiction and nonfiction for children. Amongst her titles are picture books: THIS IS MY ROOM (NO TIGERS ALLOWED) and OH, CHICKADEE!; chapter books: Andy Shane series and Twig and Turtle series; middle grade novels: SMALL AS AN ELEPHANT, PAPER THINGS, THE DOLLAR KIDS, CRASHING IN LOVE; and young adult novels: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER and STAINED. Her awards and honors include ALA Best Books For Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Best Books, NYPL Best Books for Teens, Parents Choice Gold Award, IRA Young Adult’s Choice, ILA Social Justice Award, NTCE Charlotte Huck Honorable Mention, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Selections as well as many state awards. She lives in mid-coast Maine with her husband.

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh not as much about dance as i was hoping. it’s a fine early chapter book.

[Anne Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this, so you can imagine how disappointed I was to find that the ballet in this book is absolute drivel. It's clear that the author has minimal knowledge of ballet; for one thing, good ballet teachers know that it's absolutely ludicrous to teach grand jetés to beginners! Not only does the ballet teacher in this story teach steps for which the students in her class are clearly unready, her style of comparing one student to another student is just bad practice. It's an especially poor idea to draw everyone's attention to the poorest student in the class. Really, what are you hoping to accomplish by encouraging everyone to laugh at the weakest student? Ridicule just makes students more likely to want to quit.

If you're looking for a book about the real world of ballet, pick up a copy of Veronica Tennant's On Stage, Please. The novel highlights a girl who makes it into the National Ballet School of Canada and chronicles her experience in the National Ballet Company's annual production of "The Nutcracker". (You can trust Tennant to get the ballet part right; after all, she was a prima ballerina with the National Ballet.)

Given my low rating, you might be shaking your head, questioning whether I should have just given this book one star. If this book were only about ballet, it would certainly only receive one star. Surprisingly, ballet plays a less than starring role in the story. The novel is more about the friendship among three girls, which I did enjoy reading about. It's the type of friendship where the girls spend so much time together, they would feel naked if they didn't go to school with at least one similar piece of clothing or accessory. They're the supportive type of friends who are there for each other during both the good times and the bad. All in all, they're more like sisters.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect chapter book for 2nd to 3rd grader.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winnie has two greater friends she loves doing everything with but when their interest start to diverge can their friendship survive. Elementary.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winnie has always loved being part of a trio of best friends. She and her buddies, Vanessa and Zoe, call themselves the “end-of-the-alphabet club” and they do all of their after school activities together. When Vanessa and Zoe decide to join ballet, though, Winnie is less than thrilled, and even though she joins her friends at first, she learns an important lesson about staying true to oneself and one’s own interests rather than trying to change to make friends happy.

This short and sweet beginning chapter book explores a common childhood issue - learning to allow space in close friendships. Winnie is a believable and sympathetic character whose emotional dilemma rings very true, and her frustrations with her friends’ newfound interest in ballet will surely be shared by lots of young girls who just haven’t caught the dancing bug like many of their peers. Though the girls do have arguments and hurt feelings in some parts of the book, the overall themes focus more on compromise and goodwill toward friends with different interests. Readers will be pleased by the ending, both because of Winnie’s triumph on the dance floor, and because she doesn’t have to change her personality to keep her two best friends.

The artwork in this book wasn’t my favorite, but the warmth of Winnie’s relationship with her dad and her love for her two best friends was enough to draw me in. This book might easily get lost or forgotten on library shelves, especially now that it is over ten years old, but readers who enjoy books about friendship, dance, and school will love it. Other books about Winnie include Truly Winnie and Winnie at Her Best.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this series is adorable.

I started with the second book in this series then backtracked to Winnie Dancing on Her Own. While this early-reader series doesn’t have to be read in order, I would recommend it.

In the debut book, when Winnie’s two best friends eagerly sign up for dance class, Winnie reluctantly follows along. Like a lot of easy readers, Winnie Dancing on Her Own contains the usual abundance of lessons and messages, but the story’s charm overwhelms the preachy-ness.

My one quibble is that I think the girls seem younger than third grade. Given that I liked the series, I’ll say that’s because Ms. Jacobson wanted to appeal to the target audience, many of whom are younger than third graders, and make them feel like older kids deal with the same concerns as they do. Either way, Winnie is a darling protagonist, and I’m disappointed there’s only one other book in the series. Recommended.

[Jessica]

I remember being in like, fourth grade and this was the book every girl in my class wanted to read. Now, the. school library was small and only had one copy, so it was never there to just take out. They made a list for those who wanted it, and we all had to wait until the teacher took us to the library to get a chance at it. I finally got my turn, and I remember loving it, but honestly I don't remember much of what happens in it. I just know I always remember that crazy year whenever I see this cover.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Threesomes are hard, everyone says, but since kindergarten, Vanessa, Winnie, and Zoe—the End-of-the-Alphabet Club—have done everything together: sleepovers, trips to the library, games at recess. Yet now, as the world of ballet enters their lives, Winnie fears she will lose her two best friends. Simply told and illustrated with heartfelt, spirited drawings, this early chapter book explores the mysteries and joys of friendship.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute book about dealing with friendships and learning to be who you are.

[Annamarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that teaches best friends - especially in an odd number (3) - how to respect one another's wishes and to compromise.

[Aprilima · Rating 4 out of 5]

buku anak :D
cerita persahabatan tiga anak perempuan, sederhana, lucu, banyak pelajaran. Hihiihii... lucuu. :*