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samantha_randolph 's review for:
My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights
by Brooks Benjamin
3.5 stars rounded up
Short and Sweet:
This fun, dancing story is perfect for middle grade readers who love dance!
To Elaborate…
I love books and movies that focus on dance. I took dance classes myself during my middle school years, and I went on to do colorguard in high school and in college, so I love reading stories with people who love to perform. Brooks Benjamin handles the dancing element perfectly in this story. Dillon loves to dance, but he hasn’t had any training. He makes up his own style with his friends/crew, but a big part of him yearns for learning something other than his created style. When he gets the chance to possibly work with a studio, he’s torn between seeing formal training as restrictive and rule bound (as his friends see it) or as a means of becoming a real dancer. Dillon’s conflict is something I’ve heard happening in many creative areas (especially creative writing): does some sort of formal schooling dampen or strengthen a person’s creativity? Dillon’s exploration of that question is lovely, especially as his friends (and not-so-friends) bring their own perspectives into the discussion.
The secondary characters, particularly Kassie and Sarah, are really fleshed out. I love seeing a female-female conflict that isn’t stereotypically black and white. Sarah is far from a blanket ‘mean girl,’ and the conclusion between her and Kassie is perfection. Benjamin also does a good job of integrating LGBTQ characters into the story, which is especially great to find in a middle grade book.
While I think the humor in the story is perfect for the age group, I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as I think the age group will. There are also several different dance competitions/performances in the story, and sometimes the timeline for what was happening when was a little confusing.
Overall, I think this would make an excellent addition to any middle grade shelf. It tackles issues of peer pressure, masculinity, family dynamics, crushes, and of course, dancing.
Originally posted at TFoWaP: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/
Short and Sweet:
This fun, dancing story is perfect for middle grade readers who love dance!
To Elaborate…
I love books and movies that focus on dance. I took dance classes myself during my middle school years, and I went on to do colorguard in high school and in college, so I love reading stories with people who love to perform. Brooks Benjamin handles the dancing element perfectly in this story. Dillon loves to dance, but he hasn’t had any training. He makes up his own style with his friends/crew, but a big part of him yearns for learning something other than his created style. When he gets the chance to possibly work with a studio, he’s torn between seeing formal training as restrictive and rule bound (as his friends see it) or as a means of becoming a real dancer. Dillon’s conflict is something I’ve heard happening in many creative areas (especially creative writing): does some sort of formal schooling dampen or strengthen a person’s creativity? Dillon’s exploration of that question is lovely, especially as his friends (and not-so-friends) bring their own perspectives into the discussion.
The secondary characters, particularly Kassie and Sarah, are really fleshed out. I love seeing a female-female conflict that isn’t stereotypically black and white. Sarah is far from a blanket ‘mean girl,’ and the conclusion between her and Kassie is perfection. Benjamin also does a good job of integrating LGBTQ characters into the story, which is especially great to find in a middle grade book.
While I think the humor in the story is perfect for the age group, I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as I think the age group will. There are also several different dance competitions/performances in the story, and sometimes the timeline for what was happening when was a little confusing.
Overall, I think this would make an excellent addition to any middle grade shelf. It tackles issues of peer pressure, masculinity, family dynamics, crushes, and of course, dancing.
Originally posted at TFoWaP: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/