Homeroom Exercise

by Jana Strie

When eleven-year-old Regan begins to suffer from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, she must face the possibility that her dream of being a professional dancer may never come true.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. Clearly, I am not the target audience for this book about a middle school dancer who is diagnosed with arthritis, but being a die hard fan of the 1980s YA classic The Sisters Impossible and the Satin Slippers series, I was a little thrilled when I stumbled upon a title I'd never heard of while looking for fiction about arthritis, and ordered it. The book is light on dance plot and surprisingly even light on Lurlene McDaniel esque medical melodrama, with much of the story focused on tween girl frenemies and friendships, but it was still ok- definitely geared towards even younger kids than I was anticipating- probably appropriate for kids as young as 8.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vividly depicts what it's like to have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The author makes the story all the more poignant by making the young girl a dancer.