Belly Dancing At the Bus Stop

by Sarah Turland

So there I stood, on the other side of the world, waiting at the bus stop. Everyone who knew my parents from before said, ‘Aren’t you glad to be home Nora?’ Little did they know… When fifteen-year-old Nora returns to school in Australia, she despairs of ever fitting in. In this land of big spiders, short shorts and zero interest in world affairs, Nora is as strange as snow at the Sphinx. She doesn’t know the songs, she hasn’t seen the TV shows and, worst of all, she wore sandals on her first day of school. The only place Nora feels like she really belongs is on the front seat of the bus. Then Samuel joins Nora at the bus stop. He seems to be the only person in the whole school who genuinely cares about her. But is he really worthy of her trust? Or will his secrets break her heart? Travel with Nora as she takes the long journey home through faith, hope and love. With a little belly dancing on the way.

Genres: Contemporary

212 pages, Paperback

Published March 6, 2018

Reviews

[Sally Poyzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It's pitched at teenagers but I quickly found myself drawn into Nora's world. It's a sweet story with a biblical message. A great read for teenagers, especially those who have lived in other countries.

[R.J. Rodda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Apart from the really funny moments in this book, what I love best about this is how it ends up. Nora starts the school year without friends, a stranger in her home country and unsure of who she is. And slowly and at times painfully, she finds not only her place, but also discovers a new depth to her faith.

Nora is easy to relate to and I enjoyed watching her grow and change but my favorite characters in this are Melinda with her in-your-face fierceness and outrageous behavior (she actually reminds me of a Melinda I used to know) and Olivia who is just a really fun girl with all her inappropriate comments and directness.

Finally though, Sam. What a guy. I like how he changes throughout the story, but I also love his mature response to Nora’s father.

I also really like how Nora makes friends at school and gets to a place where she relies on God and is happy with her life before any real romance comes her way.

This is a great book for Aussie teen girls, or anyone who has had to adjust to a new culture.

[Mrs H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belly Dancing at the Bus Stop is the diary of Nora a fifteen-year-old girl who has lived in Egypt with her parents and two younger sisters for most of her life. The story follows Nora’s journey from leaving her close group of friends and her established cultural awareness of Egypt to resettling with her family in Australia. Friendships, cultural ‘norms’, family relationships, cross-generational friendships, identity and spirituality are themes covered in the book through the likeable and authentic characters that are part of Nora’s new life in Australia.