By Eileen Spinelli
Best for grades 3-6
Call number: J Spinelli, E.
Copyright 2010
Bindi's whole life is changing. First her father, after months of frusterating unemployment moves out, then her aunt has a great idea to open a pancake restaurant with her mother as a partner. What follows is a novel in verse with a colorful cast of characters, from her little cousin and Inky, his pet rubber spider, to Grace a regular at the restaurant who pushes a cart with all the stuff she owns inside. Bindi must come to terms with her feelings about her parents, having to move, and the new responsibilities and relationships she finds herself in.
The Dancing Pancake is a first-person realistic fiction story set in short free-verse poems so it is easy to start and stop. It is a great choice if there is a reader in your life who only has a few minutes to read here and there, or who prefer short reading sessions, or anyone wanting to experiment with a novel in verse with a excellent storyline.
The following box contains notes to parents/guardians and teachers about The Dancing Pancake. Because it contains spoilers you must select (or "highlight") the box with your mouse to read the following text.
Parents and Teachers be advised: This book deals with the feelings of both the children and the parents when parents try separation. At the end of this story Bindi's Dad comes back to town, and while he's not quite ready to move back in with the family, it is implied that Bindi's parents will remain married and work out their problems. Because not every separation ends this way, children may want to talk about how theirs or their friends experiences are similar or different to the ones in The Dancing Pancake.
There's just enough time before school starts to sneak in a few more fun reads!
-JW-
16.47
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Posted in: New Book Review
