The Melting Season

January 1, 2007
Gr 8 Up-Giselle, a talented ballerina who attends a private school for the artistically gifted, still mourns her beloved father, who died several years earlier. Marina, her famous ballerina mother, has moved on and is involved with Blitz, whom Giselle despises. The teen refuses to allow herself a social life and spends what little free time she has immersed in idolized memories. Her friend Magda tries to bring her out of her self-imposed shell, but it is only when Giselle meets charming and handsome Will that she becomes interested in the outside world. Through her interactions with him, readers learn that Giselle's sadness stems from more than the loss of her father. She begins to remember incidents of abuse, caused by his pain-induced rage, and realizes that her resentment against her mother is unjustified. This coming-of-age story ends with the teen learning to hold onto the past while also keeping it far enough behind her to embrace the future. Her voice is sharp and smart as she makes cutting remarks about her "flaky" school and its inhabitants who are "so artistic it strains the mind," and her language is appropriately and occasionally crude. The world of culturally elite Manhattanites is aptly drawn. The plot may not be fast paced enough for some, but more discerning readers will enjoy its complexity."Michelle Roberts, Merrick Library, NY"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2006
Sixteen-year-old Giselle lives in a household where little has changed in the 10 years since the death of her father, a legendary dancer and choreographer. She attends a New York City school for students gifted in the arts; studies ballet under the watchful eye of her mother, an eminent former ballerina; and snatches what little free time she has with her best friend, Magda. After meeting Will, though, everything begins to change. Smart, ironic, constrained, and vulnerable, Giselle tells of the spring when her life suddenly shifts, allowing her to see the past differently and move forward in the direction of her choosing. From the opening descriptions of the school's Medieval Pageant to the difficulties of a teen communicating with her mother to the catch-your-breath evocation of first love, this novel will capture readers with vivid imagery, emotional subtlety, and fine dialogue. Often droll, the writing features apt turns of phrase and laugh-out-loud moments as well as a convincing backstory and sensitive portrayals of characters' interactions. Readers will find themselves rereading this for the sheer pleasure of spending more time with these idiosyncratic, engaging characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)