Reviewed by Jessica Walton
Review Source: Disability in Kid Lit
Book Author: Padma Venkatraman
A Time to Dance is the story of Veda, a teenage dancer injured in a car accident on the way home from a dance competition. She has her right leg amputated below the knee, and is devastated when her dance teacher doesn’t want her in his class anymore. Continue reading.
A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
Published by Penguin on May 1st 2014
Genres: Asia, Teen Years
Pages: 320
Reading Level: Grades 6-8, High School
ISBN: 9780698158269
Review Source: Disabilities in Kid Lit
Also by this author: The Bridge Home
Publisher's synopsis: Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.
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