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Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students




*Ten Cents a Dance* by Christine Fletcher- young adult book review
 
Also by Christine Fletcher:

Tallulah Falls
Ten Cents a Dance
by Christine Fletcher
Grades 7+ 368 pages Bloomsbury USA April 2008 Hardcover    

What would you do if your mother, who was the sole support of you and your younger sister, lost her ability to work? Fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski is forced to answer this question when her mother develops rheumatoid arthritis and is no longer able to work in the meat processing plant. In 1940’s Chicago, Ruby is forced to drop out of school and work in the meat plant to support her mother and sister. The only relief she gets from the daily grind are the hours she is dancing. There is no ballet or tap, or even waltzing for this young lady. She is all jazz and Charleston and Lindy.

She has learned to be a tough girl and to take care of herself. When Paulie Suelze spots her after she gets into a fight with some other girls at the club where she’s gone to dance, he suggests that she get a job dancing at the Starlight Club. The thought of being able to dance and earn money at the same time has great appeal to Ruby, but being able to explain the need to be out at night until 2:00 a.m. creates a problem. Ruby solves it by lying to her mother. This is to be the first of many lies that will take Ruby down some unpleasant avenues in her life.

The novel presents a realistic picture of how hard life could be in the 1940s. It also gives the reader a clear image of music and dance halls of that era. The Broadway play “Gypsy” and the movie “Sweet Charity” also address this era in our American history. This story depicts life at its worst but also at its best, and it teaches the reader about self-preservation and perseverance. The portrait of Ruby Jacinski is one of an admirable character struggling to do the right thing.

 
Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students

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