Avalanche Dance

by Ellen Schwartz

Gwen lives for dancing. When she has the chance to take an intensive - and expensive - course far from home, she knows her parents will object. She also knows that she can usually convince her father to support her. She raises the subject when they're together skiing, but the discussion turns into an angry confrontation that is cut short by a sudden dreadful avalanche that almost kills her dad.

The avalanche leaves terrible damage in its wake. Gwen is left wracked with guilt and injuries that may end her career as a dancer. Her life is complicated by her best friend, Molly. Molly has her own demons, and may either be a danger to Gwen or part of her salvation. Gwen must find a way to make peace with Molly, with her family, and with her own conscience if she is ever again going to experience the freedom that dancing brought her.

Genres: Young Adult, Drama, Friendship

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2010

About the author

Ellen Schwartz was born in Washington, DC, and now lives with her family in Burnaby, British Columbia. In addition to writing books, she has published dozens of magazine articles and adult short stories. Her stories for children have been published in children’s magazines and teaching anthologies.

In addition to her work as an author, Ms. Schwartz and her husband run a communications consulting company. She works as a corporate writer, and teaches creative writing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College. Before becoming a writer, Ms. Schwartz taught special education and the primary grades, and worked as an environmental educator.

Reviews

[SjA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks like it's all about Gwen. A 13 year old who's whole life revolves around dancing. While the center of the story unfolds and revolves around Gwen you have another main character. Molly. Gwen's ex-best friend who just wanted to party and have fun and falls in with the wrong crowd doing the wrong things. Both their lives seem to turn upside down at the same time. It's an easy read. The plot is decent but it's rather simple. It's a perfect read for pre-teens if you don't mind them reading about thirteen year olds partying, boozing, and smoking pot, which is what Molly is all about. Molly learns a valuable lesson when her party friends abandon her and leave her to take the blame and punishment after a party gone wrong. Readers should learn a lesson too.

I couldn't quite connect with Gwen. At times I wanted to slap her and tell her to snap out of it but then I remember she's just a thirteen year old girl and i'm filled for a second with the horror of realization that I'd probably react the same exact way.

Then to my horror I realize that I connected with Molly in a way I wish I didn't because I've been there and done that. Then I realized the age wasn't too far off from the same age I started doing that mess.

You don't get highly involved with the characters in this book. You get sad but there's no deep emotional connection. You shake your head and ask why would they do that but then again you remember they are 13.

It's not a bad read. It took me about 2 hours to finish it because I had nurses and doctors coming in non stop to see my kid in the hospital. Haven't decided if i'll let her read it or not. I probably will.

[Lawral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the avalanche that injures Gwen and puts her father in the hospital, Gwen isolates herself entirely. She feels responsible, and she doesn't feel like she can tell anyone. This is partly because she's had a major falling out with her best friend (of forever), Molly, over Molly's new found fascination with alcohol and pot (and yes, these are 13yr olds).

Even though there are some more mature issues brought up in this book, particularly the drinking and substance abuse, Avalanche Dance never lost that tweener feel. Though both girls are dealing with things that they shouldn't have to deal with until they are older (the possible loss of a parent, drug abuse), they both still handle it like the 13 year olds that they are. That said, this is not a book for every 9-12 year old. The parties Molly attends are important to the story and her actions there are described in detail. And her post-Gwen friends are much more hard-core than she is. But more than Molly's actions (which are never portrayed preachily), the way that Gwen links her own actions to her father's injuries might be too much for some younger readers. Knowing very little about avalanches, it was very easy for me to think, like Gwen, that if she hadn't argued with her father, they both would have made it home from their impromptu ski trip just fine. Clearly the way that Gwen deals with these feelings of guilt is not ideal, but I completely understood why she felt the way that she did. The cause and effect is so much more believable than your average misplaced guilt about a parents’ divorce or something similar.

Told in their alternating viewpoints, Avalanche Dance is really about Gwen and Molly’s relationship to each other. Throughout the book, both Molly and Gwen reflect on the relationship that they used to have, how it fell apart, and how much (if they'd only admit it) they miss it. When Molly is sentenced to community service, to be served at Gwen's house, the two are forced to face each other and their problems. This is the real the meat of the story. Molly can see that Gwen is dying inside and Gwen, though still hurt, is very protective of Molly. Even though their friendship is mostly seen in the girls’ memories, this qualifies as another great girl friendship book. Even when neither wants to talk to the other, I loved the way that they miss and worry about each other.


Book source: Review copy provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.


For a look at the dancing, see my complete review at:
http://lawral.blogspot.com/2010/11/av...

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen and Molly have been best friends forever. Then Molly starts hanging with the party crowd and they are no longer best friends. They've gone down two different paths. Gwen is involved in her dance. Suddenly she has the opportunity to attend 3 weeks of a wonderfully grueling workshop at the University of British Columbia. Because it is expensive she knows her mom will say no, so she decides to work on her dad first. Gwen never expected the argument with her father about the cost of the workshop, nor did she expect the avalanche they were both caught in. Molly had been partying with her "friends" until a freak accident caught a building owned by Gwen's parents on fire. Molly learned these kids were not her friends when they ran off and left her to get caught. Now she has to work for Gwen's parents for community service. This gives both girls an opportunity to re-examine their former friendship. This is a quick read and very engaging. I thought of my own daughter when she started dance in seventh grade. We started her with one class. Her instructor approached me about classes for the next year. Suddenly she wanted her in eight different classes. My daughter went to her dad and asked him to talk to me because she really wanted to be a dancer. I could so relate to some of the things Gwen did and said. I'm passing this to my daughter to read because I know she will enjoy this.

[Kari Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen is a dance through and through. Some kids like video games, others like basketball, Gwen’s passion is dancing and choreographing dances. Pretty deep for a teenage girl. But all of that is risked when she and her father go skiing one early morning and come face-to-face with an avalanche. Now Gwen takes the blame she and her father’s injuries and has an intense pain in her leg that may sideline her for good.

Avalanche Dance is a very quick, fast paced story of friendship through the rocky times. Gwen’s former BFF is spending time at Gwen’s house, but not because they’re being chummy. It’s because she got into a heap of trouble and is doing her community service at Gwen’s house. At a time like this, sometimes it’s best to put your faulty past on the back burner and move on with someone who really cares.

This book is a little deeper than some of the other YA books I have read this year, which is always a good thing. It’s not about boys and drama, it’s more a story of a girl overcoming pain and regret.

There were a few times I had a conflict with the characters. I wanted to tell Gwen to get off her butt and do something. Yeah, she’s feeling guilty, but sitting around, looking out the window isn’t going to help. I also feel bad for her friend Molly at time. Molly did ditch Gwen for the party kids, but there are a number of times in the book she reaches out to Gwen and is shut down, but doesn’t quit trying.

I give Avalanche Dance 4 bookmarks

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes "Avalanche Dance" this good is that readers can relate to it, regardless of whether or not they have gone through a similar experience themselves. There are two main issues which propel the plot forward: (1) the avalanche that Gwen encountered with her dad and left her guilt-stricken over her dad's injuries, (2) the rift between Gwen and her former best friend Molly. Told from alternating perspectives between Gwen and Molly, allowed for both characters to develop. Even though Gwen seemed to be the central focus at first, Molly's own problems were brought to the surface as well which gave the multiple perspectives credence. Some readers may be put off by Gwen's attitude after the avalanche but I think it's important to remember that she is all but fourteen years old and tragic accidents affect people differently.

Reading the book brought me to tears a couple of times. Not full out sobs, but tears enough to reflect the tugging of my heart strings. Although in retrospect, maybe a little more could've been written to address Molly's alcohol and drug problems. After all, the book wasn't all that long. Still, a worthwhile read, especially for the not so patient reader.

[~Gen hearts books.~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*CONTAINS SPOILERS!* I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads author giveaway (Thank you Ellen Schwartz). Avalanche Dance was a really good book! I enjoyed the entire book.

This story is about Molly and Gwen. They were best friends, but not anymore. Gwen has a passion for dancing, she goes skiing with her dad and they are involved in an avalanche. They are rescued, but they are both hurt. Gwen hurts her leg and needs a cane to walk, her dad is severely injured and hospitalized for awhile. Gwen's released from the hospital, although she still feels pain in her leg (which stops her from dancing). She mopes around, barely eats and wants to be alone. She feels guilty about the accident.

Molly comes back into Gwen's life and helps her resolve her guilt and make peace with her dad and the accident. Molly also convinces Gwen to try to dance again. Gwen and Molly bond over this and once again become friends. I loved the ending of this story.....great book!

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gwen loves to dance and she's really good! She has the opportunity to attend a summer dance camp in Vancouver, but her dad thinks she's too young to be away from home alone. After arguing with him while skiing, she storms off and they both get caught in an avalanche. Gwen's dad is badly injured and must spend weeks in the hospital, but Gwen recovers quickly except for some lingering pain in her legs. Is her dancing career over?

This is a quick read, but the story is engaging and believable. Although not the highest quality of writing, teens will relate to the relationship Gwen has with her parents and the guilt she feels over the accident. The ending is satisfying and logical, if predictable. A good addition to the list of "high-low" books for reluctant readers.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two girls, Molly and Gwen, inseparable friends from the age of seven find their friendship in tatters as each pursues different choices in adolescence - Molly reaches for the temptations of partying and drugs and Gwen is consumed by dance. Two simultaneous tragedies befall the girls and through the resolution of the dual problems, the girls find a way to reconnect. A good story, well told, although the beginning is somewhat shaky.

[Krysta · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short, fluffy YA book. Not really worth the hour it took to read.