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Ribbons #1
Ribbons
If you asked her, Robin would say that ballet means everything to her.
But no one's asking Robin. Not her parents, who can no longer afford ballet lessons because all of their money is going toward bringing Robin's Chinese grandmother to America. Not her grandmother, a demanding woman who can barely walk. And now, Robin is even losing touch with her ballet friends, who are moving on without her. It's hard for Robin to hide her resentment of this foreign grandmother who's changed her whole life. Then Robin uncovers a secret that leads to a new understanding of the many ways in which she and her tough old grandmother are alike.
"An appealing story that draws readers into the world of ballet, while offering an authentic and sometimes amusing look at the dynamics of Chinese-American family life."— School Library Journal
"Kids who appreciate a story about fighting for one's dream will enjoy Robin's saga."— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
But no one's asking Robin. Not her parents, who can no longer afford ballet lessons because all of their money is going toward bringing Robin's Chinese grandmother to America. Not her grandmother, a demanding woman who can barely walk. And now, Robin is even losing touch with her ballet friends, who are moving on without her. It's hard for Robin to hide her resentment of this foreign grandmother who's changed her whole life. Then Robin uncovers a secret that leads to a new understanding of the many ways in which she and her tough old grandmother are alike.
"An appealing story that draws readers into the world of ballet, while offering an authentic and sometimes amusing look at the dynamics of Chinese-American family life."— School Library Journal
"Kids who appreciate a story about fighting for one's dream will enjoy Robin's saga."— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
15 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Yep
119 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 24, 2019
I adore this book so much. It was one of my favorites as a kid and I return to it every few years to give it a reread. It never fails to make me cry. It's not that it's even that sad of a story, but it's so easy to relate to an 11 year old kid who has one favorite thing in the world that gets taken from her. All she wants is to dance, but her dance lessons are replaced by an overbearing Chinese grandmother she's never met who prefers her younger brother.
The resentment Robin feels toward her grandmother and brother always felt so real. Sure, she's acting like a bit of a brat, but she's a kid who's going through a rough time. It'd be unrealistic if she wasn't reacting badly to some of the changes, like having to sleep on a mattress on the floor in her 5 year old brother's room while her grandmother takes over her bedroom. And Robin actively tries to be understanding, for all that she's a kid who can't necessarily see the big picture.
And her love of ballet is so palpable. I cried about four different times reading this as an adult. It does resolve a bit easily, but it's a middle grade book and probably on the younger spectrum even then. I was never bothered by quick turnabout. It actually felt heartwarming, that these characters could understand each other.
I highly recommend this book if you're interested in sweet contemporary MG. This book isn't anything new or different, but it's so incredibly well done. I never read anything else by Laurence Yep as a kid, but as an adult I will probably check out more of his work. Definitely one I'll continue rereading on a regular basis, whenever I want a good cry.
The resentment Robin feels toward her grandmother and brother always felt so real. Sure, she's acting like a bit of a brat, but she's a kid who's going through a rough time. It'd be unrealistic if she wasn't reacting badly to some of the changes, like having to sleep on a mattress on the floor in her 5 year old brother's room while her grandmother takes over her bedroom. And Robin actively tries to be understanding, for all that she's a kid who can't necessarily see the big picture.
And her love of ballet is so palpable. I cried about four different times reading this as an adult. It does resolve a bit easily, but it's a middle grade book and probably on the younger spectrum even then. I was never bothered by quick turnabout. It actually felt heartwarming, that these characters could understand each other.
I highly recommend this book if you're interested in sweet contemporary MG. This book isn't anything new or different, but it's so incredibly well done. I never read anything else by Laurence Yep as a kid, but as an adult I will probably check out more of his work. Definitely one I'll continue rereading on a regular basis, whenever I want a good cry.
February 28, 2012
Since I am a ballet dancer, I was immediately drawn to this book. The main character is an Asian American ballet dancer named Robin. Robin's grandmother moves in with them, and they no longer have money to pay for tuition. This causes Robin to resent her grandmother, and she has a very hard time relating to her. Her grandmother does not want her to do ballet, and this upsets Robin.
Her grandmother finally tells her that she does not want her to do ballet because she cannot bear to see her hurt her feet dancing on pointe. When she was a young girl in China, she had her feet bound painfully in Chinese tradition. Robin sees that her grandmother comes from a place of caring, and she begins to learn more about life in China as she develops a relationship with her grandmother.
This book shows how culture gets passed on to younger generations. It encouraged me to ask my grandmother what it was like to be a Spanish American when she was a young girl. This is a good book in the classroom to encourage exploration of other cultures and increase knowledge of Asian American heritage.
Her grandmother finally tells her that she does not want her to do ballet because she cannot bear to see her hurt her feet dancing on pointe. When she was a young girl in China, she had her feet bound painfully in Chinese tradition. Robin sees that her grandmother comes from a place of caring, and she begins to learn more about life in China as she develops a relationship with her grandmother.
This book shows how culture gets passed on to younger generations. It encouraged me to ask my grandmother what it was like to be a Spanish American when she was a young girl. This is a good book in the classroom to encourage exploration of other cultures and increase knowledge of Asian American heritage.
August 5, 2019
side note: I think it's weird that my tags on one edition don't carry over to another, but perhaps that's in case people use tags for shelf organizing? I dunno.
Ribbons is the first of several books that follow Robin, an eleven year old biracial dancer. Robin's parents want to bring over her maternal grandmother from Hong Kong to live with them in San Francisco (re-reading as an adult, I recognize a temporal sign post: a few years prior to Great Britain "returning" the colony of Hong Kong to China in 1997, though you could pick up on this being a '90s book with corded phones, cassette tapes, and giant heavy camcorders). However, the process is expensive and requires sacrifices... like ending ballet lessons for Robin. To her, dance is freedom so she becomes very resentful when Grandmother finally arrives and her life feels upended, moving in with her brother so Grandmother can have her room, etc.
Upon reread, I noticed that the Ribbons books (for lack of a series title) all tie into fairy tales- The Cook's Family was Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, The Amah was Cinderella, and this one is the Little Mermaid (I don't remember what Angelfish connects to, though). Robin & Grandmother eventually connect over the shared understanding of walking through pain to be free, setting up for a really lovely dynamic between grandparent and grandchild.
Skirting around the edges of Ribbons is also the concept of face: Robin's parents don't want people to know the reason ballet lessons are on pause is because they can't afford it, and while Robin's uncles Eddie and Georgie are seemingly successful, it very much looks like a front to look prosperous (luckily, Grandmother cuts to the core and puts her children in line). There's a fair amount of self-sacrificing and then lying to others pretending everything's fine, which I feel is such a specific cultural note that rings true.
Like The Cook's Family cover, I do think this was a missed opportunity to show a mixed-race child, but also as an ABC I appreciate putting Robin on the cover at all because Laurence Yep's books were among the few that had kids with similar backgrounds to me, that look like me.
Ribbons is the first of several books that follow Robin, an eleven year old biracial dancer. Robin's parents want to bring over her maternal grandmother from Hong Kong to live with them in San Francisco (re-reading as an adult, I recognize a temporal sign post: a few years prior to Great Britain "returning" the colony of Hong Kong to China in 1997, though you could pick up on this being a '90s book with corded phones, cassette tapes, and giant heavy camcorders). However, the process is expensive and requires sacrifices... like ending ballet lessons for Robin. To her, dance is freedom so she becomes very resentful when Grandmother finally arrives and her life feels upended, moving in with her brother so Grandmother can have her room, etc.
Upon reread, I noticed that the Ribbons books (for lack of a series title) all tie into fairy tales- The Cook's Family was Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, The Amah was Cinderella, and this one is the Little Mermaid (I don't remember what Angelfish connects to, though). Robin & Grandmother eventually connect over the shared understanding of walking through pain to be free, setting up for a really lovely dynamic between grandparent and grandchild.
Skirting around the edges of Ribbons is also the concept of face: Robin's parents don't want people to know the reason ballet lessons are on pause is because they can't afford it, and while Robin's uncles Eddie and Georgie are seemingly successful, it very much looks like a front to look prosperous (luckily, Grandmother cuts to the core and puts her children in line). There's a fair amount of self-sacrificing and then lying to others pretending everything's fine, which I feel is such a specific cultural note that rings true.
Like The Cook's Family cover, I do think this was a missed opportunity to show a mixed-race child, but also as an ABC I appreciate putting Robin on the cover at all because Laurence Yep's books were among the few that had kids with similar backgrounds to me, that look like me.
July 15, 2017
I saw this randomly at the library where they have books sitting out by the check out and picked it up because I love ballet. This book takes you on a roller coaster of feelings! Talks about misogyny, family roles, cultural differences, sacrifice, emotional labor that women go through, and most of all love and believing in something you love even when it sometimes gets tough. You wouldn't think you'd get all of this out of a children's book, yet here it is. That's why I love reading literature for kids, because you get stories like these that stick with you for life. That show you so much and treat children like the people they are, because they see these things. They may not have the big words for it, but they see it, and they deserve to sit at the table and be talked to about it in a way they can understand.
A must read. I've read a lot of ballet books since I love it so much and practice it, but I can count on one hand how many books I've read about ballet with a non white character. Representation matters. And this book does that very well.
A must read. I've read a lot of ballet books since I love it so much and practice it, but I can count on one hand how many books I've read about ballet with a non white character. Representation matters. And this book does that very well.
January 31, 2024
In this year's dance recital, Robin Lee dances the part of Morning Butterfly in Nutcracker. After the performance, she learns that she will not return to Madame Oblamov's ballet school. Her parents need the money to bring Robin's Chinese grandmother to the United States. Robin is crushed. For her, ballet is life. Her friends give her a tape of practice music for Christmas, and Robin begins practicing each day. It's hard, but she is determined to keep in shape. When her grandmother arrives, life changes even more. She gives up her room and most of her personal belongings are packed away. On top of that, Grandmother shuns her. Life is miserable until months later when Robin discovers the reason for her grandmother's aloofness. After this, they become close friends. Grandmother makes sure that Robin returns to ballet school.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
September 17, 2017
Three and a half stars. Nicely layered—there's Robin's love of dance, of course, and her distress at being asked to put her lessons on hold indefinitely, but there are also layers of immediate and extended family and their learning to understand one another. Nice to see how all the parts intersected.
Two things I wasn't so sure about: first, Robin's resolution with her grandmother is pretty much instantaneous; as soon as she learns about her grandmother's struggles, she sets aside all her resentment and she and her grandmother become as close as can be. And second, I do have questions about Robin's future in dance. Taking a year off is a lot for a developing dancer, especially when Robin has damaged her feet. The resolution is probably right for the book length and target audience, but it made me wonder.
Two things I wasn't so sure about: first, Robin's resolution with her grandmother is pretty much instantaneous; as soon as she learns about her grandmother's struggles, she sets aside all her resentment and she and her grandmother become as close as can be. And second, I do have questions about Robin's future in dance. Taking a year off is a lot for a developing dancer, especially when Robin has damaged her feet. The resolution is probably right for the book length and target audience, but it made me wonder.
July 1, 2025
This book was the most boring experience I have ever encountered in my life. Through start to finish I was half asleep, and the book was mostly about how Robin’s grandmother bullied her. Thank you Laurence Yep! Your book helped me fall asleep a lot faster!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2025
I read this novel since it is tied to my textbook's unit focused on generations teaching each other;
I enjoyed the ballet focus of this book and think it is a good look at the Chinese culture's past.
I enjoyed the ballet focus of this book and think it is a good look at the Chinese culture's past.
July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 23, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A heartfelt, quiet story about family, sacrifice, and understanding across generations. Robin’s struggle with balancing her passion for ballet and her family’s burdens feels authentic and tender. The narrative delicately handles themes of cultural expectation and connection, especially around Robin’s relationship with her grandmother. This is a gentle, reflective read with emotional depth, ideal for fans of realistic family dramas.
A heartfelt, quiet story about family, sacrifice, and understanding across generations. Robin’s struggle with balancing her passion for ballet and her family’s burdens feels authentic and tender. The narrative delicately handles themes of cultural expectation and connection, especially around Robin’s relationship with her grandmother. This is a gentle, reflective read with emotional depth, ideal for fans of realistic family dramas.
May 25, 2009
I loved this as a child. The heroine, Robin, is forced to give up her beloved ballet lessons when her grandmother moves in with her family; from initial resentment and anger, though, she and her grandmother start to understand one another. There's something about the emotions that the heroine goes through that Yep captures terribly well. As a nine- or ten-year-old, I sympathized intensely with her at all turns; this was one of the few works of 'realistic fiction' that I really liked at that age. The grandmother is a great character, too, complicated and believable.
Now that I think about it, this is also probably the only book I read as a child that featured a character who, like me, was a mixed-race Asian-American; although I didn't really register that at the time, I'm grateful for it now.
Now that I think about it, this is also probably the only book I read as a child that featured a character who, like me, was a mixed-race Asian-American; although I didn't really register that at the time, I'm grateful for it now.
November 13, 2010
Ribbons was another great book, Robin the main character does not want to give up her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer but her parents cannot afford to pay anymore because of her grandmother. One of the themes that occurred in this book was understanding one another. I can personally relate to Robin because I know that once you start doing something you love to do, you never want to stop and give up. You want to keep on going to reach your goal. Robin suffered a lot throughout this book, especially because of her parents. One of the things that I learned from reading this book was to never stop doing what you love to do and keep going till the very end! I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to the people who love ballet because I think they are the ones who can understand Robin’s feelings the best.
November 13, 2010
I wanted to like this book. After reading "Spring Pearl" I loved Laurence Yep's writing. Then I found this book. Since I saw it was about ballet, which I have taken and interest to, I thought I'd like it. Well, I didn't not like it, but I came to the conlusion it was kind of a waste of my time, since 85% of the time in the book was spent with Robin feeling sorry for herself and hating her grandmother and brother. Another 15% was over-obsession on ballet. Not that that's bad, there was just a little too much for me. That's all that was there, pretty much. Feeling sorry for herself and "Oh, my life is ruined" and "ballet this ballet that ballet is most important in my life"
So, it wasn't terrible, it just might have been disappointing because I had high hopes for it.
So, it wasn't terrible, it just might have been disappointing because I had high hopes for it.
February 13, 2014
I really liked Ribbons by Laurence Yep. I'm a ballet dancer, so I was immediately drawn to it. I think that one of the reasons I likes this book so much is that I can relate to it. Robbin's passion for dance in the book made me cry, and her perseverance to continue dancing was so touching. I really like the way her grandmother and Robbin grew together in the last part if the book. In the beginning, the were total strangers, and at the end they were fighting for each others beliefs. I really liked Ribbons, and ballet books in general. Although, if you are not a ballet dancer, you might get slightly bored.
November 22, 2013
I've read this before (and the related books, The Cook's Family and The Amah) and I love anything at all by Laurence Yep -- but I reread it just now because it's excerpted in the Prentice-Hall Literature textbook my district uses. I wanted to see where the excerpt fell in the book, but in fact, the "excerpt" is more of a condensed version of the core of the whole book. Very interesting, how they did that.
December 4, 2013
Laurence Yep's books as a group do give mainstream culture an idea of what being Chinese-American means; in the case of this book, I was particularly struck by the grandmother's horror at seeing her granddaughter in toe shoes, now grown too small for her as her parents can't afford new pointe shoes much less lessons. I can well see that it would affect a woman who'd had her own feet forcibly bound thus.
August 6, 2008
Realistic fiction set in San Francisco. Robin Lee is a promising ballerina, whose passion is dancing. When her family helps Robin's grandmother come over from Hong Kong, Robin must give up her dance lessons to help her family defray the costs. Robin and her grandmother have trouble understanding each other at first, until Robin discovers her grandmother's painful secret.
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September 26, 2013I am a ballet dancer like the main character in this book. I was drawn to this book because of the cover and it was very pretty. So Robin the main character is an Asian ballet dancer at her dance school. Her grandmother has to move in with her and that causes her to not be able to pay for her ballet lessons.
August 24, 2009
If you like ballet this is a book for you! I story about a girl and her grandmother from China that don't have the best connection with eachother, but when fate brings them together they have to try to get along with eachother while she is fighting for her dream of taking ballet classes again.
December 17, 2014
Ribbons follows Robin, an aspiring ballerina who must give up ballet school to help her family pay for her grandmother's immigration fees. Yep uses ballet as a way to teach Robin about sacrifices in the name of family and also Chinese history in the revelation of her grandmother's secret.
January 17, 2015
I don't remember much about this book, other than it changed my entire worldview on how other cultures view/treat dance and the relationship between ballet/pointe and the foot binding practices in ancient China.
March 7, 2015
This was a great book. It really opened my eyes to the life of girls who dream of being ballerinas and the hardships of Chinese Americans. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a different type of story with "real" characters and real situations.
November 24, 2015
I was assigned to read this book for school, middle school. It was absolutely dreadful and meaningless. This book tormented me in everywhere and couldn't give me the benefit of the doubt. I think books should expand your knowledge and teach you a lesson but his book just needs to evaporate.
July 30, 2013
First Read- August 2008
Second Read July 2013
Second Read July 2013
August 27, 2008
There were some funny parts in it, but over all a little bit...boring or something. It was actually pretty good, just not something that I'll read over and over again.
December 10, 2008
One of my favorite books from way back when. It always makes me wish I had been more serious about ballet.
July 5, 2010
Related to ballet, <3 it
May 8, 2011
This is a young-adult book. I read it when I was in 10th grade and loved it. My English teacher at the time recommended it to me as one of her favorites. It's a lovely read.
October 29, 2015
Read this for my english class. Great story, I liked it and had a good ending. it focuses on culture and family.
April 5, 2010
This was a lovely book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews