Product Description

Rosie and her mother coexist in the same house as near strangers. Since Rosie's father abandoned them years ago, her mother has accomplished her own disappearing act, spending more time with her boss than with Rosie. Now faced with losing her grandfather too, Rosie begins to visit him every day, traveling across town to his house, where she helps him place the things that matter most to him "In Trust." As Rosie learns her grandfather's story, she discovers the role music and motion have played in it. But like colors, memories fade. When Rosie stumbles into the House of Dance, she finally finds a way to restore the source of her grandfather's greatest joy.

Eloquently told, National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart's House of Dance is a powerful celebration of life and the people we love who make it worthwhile.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #375739 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-27
• Released on: 2008-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
"... the piercing emotions and family situations, described with lyrical beauty, will hit home with readers who enjoy gentle, emotional journeys, such as Lynne Rae Perkins’ Newbery Medal–winner Criss Cross (1995)" -- Booklist

"...what stands out in this introspective novel is the sheer loveliness of its prose." -- Kirkus Reviews (pointer)

"Poetically expressed memories and moving dialogue both anchor and amplify the characters’ emotions." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Beth Kephart is the author of House of Dance and Undercover. Her forthcoming novel, Nothing But Ghosts, will be released in Summer 2009. She was nominated for the National Book Award for her book A Slant of Sun. Her writing has been anthologized many times and has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Book World, the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Baltimore Sun. In 2000 she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Rosie Keith is in for a long summer. Her friends are all scattered for the three months at various jobs and camps, and her mother is hardly ever home, preferring to spend time with her business partner, who is also the man she is having an affair with. So Rosie turns to her grandfather, who is dying of cancer.

During those long summer days, she helps Granddad clean through his multitudes of possessions, placing things to keep In Trust. It is on one of those day she discovers The House of Dance, and begins taking lessons there, hoping to put In Trust again a few of Granddad's long-ago memories before he is gone for good.

HOUSE OF DANCE is a distinct and intense look at Rosie's life, her losses, and how her family reacts to same. Kephart's words are lyrical and her incisive style propels the reader easily through the book. Her in-depth look at illness and foreshadowing of death are very realistic and heartfelt. You will find yourself relating easily to Rosie, and admiring her strength in this wonderfully crafted novel.

Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader

For the dancer in everyone
I've been taking ballroom dancing lessons the past few years and so I read HOUSE OF DANCE with interest. I was surprised by how well this novel captures the world of dance, and I was moved by Rosie's story.

I highly recommend this book.

House of Dance Takes Readers for A Poignant Spin
Beth Kephart, author of YA novel "Undercover" and now the latest "House of Dance" has gifted us all with yet another beautiful, poignant and engaging work of fiction.

These YA books from Kephart are such a fresh and much-needed change from the Queen bees, mean girls and paint-by-number YA novels that one sees everywhere on shelves in brick and mortar stores today.

The "House of Dance" is meant to sweep your off your feet and dance you effortlessly across the floor of love, devotion, memory and music.