Book Review: Ten Cents A Dance by Christine Fletcher

Ten Cents A Dance by Christine Fletcher
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Pages: 368
Source: Received from publisher for honest review

Summary: With her mother ill, it's up to fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski to support her family. But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago's poor Yards is a job in one of the meat-packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer, a girl paid ten cents to dance with any man and soon becomes an expert in the art of "fishing" as she works her patrons for meals, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself.

My Review: Ten Cents A Dance was a jazzy, heart-breaking story of a fifteen year old girl trying to support her family in the 1940's. The dialogue of the era was spot on and it flowed perfectly with the plot. Ruby, was a good girl at heart with a mind of a strong-willed woman. Her innocence was respectable but flawed by her poor judgment. The moment she fell for the neighborhood's bad boy her life changed. He introduced her to the job of a taxi dancer, a job where women paraded themselves in dancing with men seeking a good time. At first, she didn't fit in but once she got the hang of it nothing stood in her way.

However, it wasn't all fun and games. This job was a dangerous playground if you got caught up in the game of manipulation. She sometimes had to sacrifice her boundaries and values for the price of money. Ruby was alone with this secret, to her mother she was a telephone operator. But, in order to keep her family life afloat she had to swallow her pride and continue to work. She and her family started living comfortably once the money started rolling in. However, Ruby passed through a lot of bumps that forever changed the little girl her mother once knew. I admired her struggle to save herself and figure out the best alternative for her future. I really enjoyed this book because I felt like I was with Ruby on her journey to self-discovery. Also, the 1940's dancing scene was fun, it made me want to learn the jitterbug and all the old school dances. I look forward to reading more works by Christine, she has a way of capturing her audience and leaving them wanting more.

My Rating:
Author's Info:
Christine Fletcher is a veterinarian who started writing and never stopped. She's published two young adult novels: Ten Cents a Dance, which was named a Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and Tallulah Falls, which was named a 2007 Book for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her boyfriend and an assortment of rescued animals.

For more info on Christine visit her site(s):
Website: http://www.christinefletcherbooks.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cm_fletcher
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/christine.fletcher.books?ref=search&sid=1057663758.1129927867..1

Other books by Christine:
-Tallulah Falls