Fantasy and Science Fiction for Children and Teens
The Phoenix Dance Hardcover: 288 pages List Price: $17.00 |
Description:
Phoenix Dance loves nothing so much as making shoes. So, when the opportunity arises to become an apprentice to the royal shoemaker, Phoenix is thrilled. But something mysterious is happening in the kingdom, and the King's twelve daughters are wearing out their shoes in one night. Of course, the royal shoemaker is blamed, and Phoenix' newfound career may be in jeopardy.
Phoenix is determined to solve the mystery, but she has her own demons to battle: Phoenix suffers from a mysterious illness that affects her ability to function. Can Phoenix overcome the challenges facing her and learn to live with her illness in time to save the princesses and her own career?
Mom's rating: 4.5 wands 
Mom's Review:
The Phoenix Dance is a lovely retelling of the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, told from the perspective of the shoemaker's apprentice. It's a beautiful, mythic story about overcoming challenges and trying to find one's place in the world. But it's much more than that: Phoenix Dance suffers from an illness called "The Illness of Two Kingdoms" in her world, but in our world it's better known as bipolar disorder.
People suffering from bipolar disorder swing between extremes of moods: depression on one end, and high energy states called mania on the other. Bipolar disorder can make it difficult to function in a society that expects consistency and dependency. Phoenix can serve as a hopeful role model for those with the illness, even as she inspires empathy and understanding in those who don't have it. But one doesn't have to be familiar with bipolar disorder to enjoy the story; at its basic level it inspires hope for all of us that we can overcome and learn to deal with the challenges that we face in our lives, whatever those challenges may be.
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Hardcover ISBN 0374359105 $13.26 Buy Now |
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