Maggie Adams, Dancer

Maggie Adams #1

by Karen Strickler Dean

A young girl is determined to succeed as a ballet dancer despite the ambivalent attitudes of her parents and her boyfriend.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

120 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1982

Reviews

[Aby Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently found a copy of this on eBay - my childhood favorite, I'd probably read this 30+ times growing up. It was my safe place and one of my best friends and finding it & reading it as an adult felt like I'd found home! :)

[Airiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just seeing the cover makes me wince at the fists of nostalgia that shoved themselves into my gut. I'm not into dancing or anything (heck I'm not into anything physical), but I read this book anyway since it was lying around at home. I thought it was a cute inspirational story of a regular ballet dancer who is trying to reach her dreams.

If my memory serves me right, I think the issue of mediocrity was touched here, and at first you'll think that choice of theme in practically a kid's book seems a bit too precocious. Not really. Dean handled all the themes very well, especially the one about not giving up just to reach your goals in life.

It's a nice read.

[Guilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit the fourth star (maybe even the third) is due more to nostalgia and personal attachment than any true literary worthiness. I read this book for the first time when I was maybe 11 or 12, when ballet was a big part of my life, and I reread it at least once a year throughout my teenage years, even after I quit dancing. The story is rather simplistic, the telling isn't radically potent... but, as I reread it today (all of it in under 2 hours), several places brought me to tears — tears of memory, tears of excitement, tears of joy. To anyone who has invested any amount of time to ballet, this is a beautiful (and quick) read.

[Allen Mozek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great. It was published in 1980 as part of the Avon Flare line of books targeted at young girls. I must have read something else in the line & my gut feeling is that they lean to the slightly tawdry end of “real issues” YA. Not so here. The focus on the world of dance is the books strength rather than its gimmick. Dean studied dance with the San Francisco Ballet & she keeps a sober, realistic focus on the trials & sacrifices of a young amateur dancer. The book hits the expected beats of the genre - the popular hang out is here a donut shop, there’s an older boy love interest, there’s a “real life” issue (anorexia in this case) & parental friction.

The writing is tight, with a strong first person voice for Maggie. There’s even some vivid descriptive language sprinkled throughout. The father is a complicated character w clear faults, but his behavior has clear motivations. Dean shows us other young women who ultimately aren’t as driven to dance as protagonist. The conclusion is a bit too tidy, but it’s expertly written to a younger readership. I think it balances between touching & too convenient admirably - my eyes were watering during the last chapter!!

A very very good book for young girls written at the tail end of the “real life real issues” era but prior to the market dominance of the gimmicks Scholastic Book Club styled numbered series. Extra credit for Dean because the author blurb mentions she’s a teacher for students with disabilities…. Which begs the question of my inevitable YA novel about dance. When will it be published? Keep watching the skies!!

[MQR]

I definitely liked the idea behind these books more than the actual books. The first book had pretty good momentum as far as tension and some other things, but I think that it must have been too tragic in its physical and mental health treatises to really follow through with. So it just quit in the middle somewhere... Which is, in my mind, a terrible thing. Why would an adult even start such a dialogue with a young audience if it is not something that can be followed through with on the very same level. In real life, I think that that is called grooming. In literature, I think it is 'potentially' mentally and/or emotionally injurious. So that is just a tip of the iceburg, or main element of what is wrong with these books. Dont get me started on what else is wrong with these books. I find that the other poor reviews (which pertain to the cultural and social aspects) are pretty accurate.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book so much when I was young. Rereading it now, I see the flaws but it is still a guilty pleasure.

[Deanna Bounds]

Another teenage favorite. Read multiple times in (and growing out of) my teenage years.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

My aunt gave me this book one year and I really enjoyed it. It's only now that I'm looking through Goodreads that I realize there were more books--it was a little series. Maybe I'll dig them up and read them some day for old time's sake. I'm just guessing on the year I read this. It was totally on reading level for me at the time, I think, but I remember feeling like the girls in the book were older than me. It was definitely while I was in elementary school and still taking ballet classes, so I can't have been much older than 10 or 11. The more I think about this, I'm pretty sure I was younger--more like 9.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

another one from the vault- I must have first bought this when I was about 10.

Maggie is a very talented teenage ballerina who loves dancing more than anything- but has to deal with typical teenage difficulties such as her appearance, her family and how to manage the boy she loves. How she grows over the course of a year, learns about real friendship and deals with significant disappointment in dancing and in life are good lessons for all teens- from the 1980s to today.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this as a teen, perhaps twenty years ago, and have revisited it because I finally have the third book in the series!

Maggie is fourteen and wants to be a dancer, but her father would rather she learn something practical (like typing and shorthand). Yay for a mom who decides to go to college!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was obsessed with all things ballet as a kid. I remember checking this out of the library when I was in middle school. The theme of never giving up is a good one but I remember thinking the book was trite and obvious. The main character has no faults so reading about her, even thought it was ballet, got boring.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a classic of my early teens. I loved the story of Maggie Adams, struggling to become a dancer despite opposition from family and boyfriend. We also see how hard it is when two of Maggie's friends fall by the wayside. One of them lacks the physical ability, while the other succumbs to an eating disorder. Dean does a fantastic job of showing the dedication it takes to make it in ballet.

[msjoonee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brings back really good memories. I first read my sister's copy but eventually got my own. It's typical young adult melodrama but I think that's part of what makes it such fun to read and revisit every now and then. The sequel, however, was not that great.

[Marnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister loved this book as a wee young thing, as she was a bit of a Maggie Adams, Dancer herself. Dancing was Maggie's world and she successfully pushed herself to excel in that world despite the challenges.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so, as far as your standard YA ballet books go. Takes place in SF, though.

[Kiersty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a classic favorite of mine- maybe because I love dancing and I love the story of the underdog winning..

[Mell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A blast from my teen past. I wasn't into dance, so only borrowed the first two from a friend.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read my copy of this book to SHREDS.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. I liked the descriptions.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites, and a fun one to revisit!