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A review by mrskatiefitz
The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli
4.0
The Dancing Pancake is a 2010 novel in verse by Eileen Spinelli. I grabbed it from the gigantic piles of new books that were ordered when my new library branch opened, for two reasons. One: I really like novels in verse. As I mentioned in my review of Pearl Verses the World a couple of weeks ago, poetry gives authors more freedom to convey important or difficult emotions than does prose. They're also a lot easier and quicker to read, and I can usually finish one within a couple of hours. Two: When I was a kid, my mom worked in a coffee shop, and I have such fond memories of running around like I owned the place. I thought this book might portray a similar experience, and indeed, I was happily thrown into the world of restaurant regulars, and the sounds and smells of cooking in the air.
Bindi's parents have recently separated and she and her mom have moved into the apartment above her aunt's new restaurant, The Dancing Pancake. As Bindi tries to make sense of her parents' separation, she experiences sadness and anger coupled with hope that they might work things out. She also interacts with the diverse cast of characters who work and eat at the Dancing Pancake, including her four-year-old cousin, Jackson, teenage waitress Ruby Frances, a homeless woman named Grace who eats meals in the restaurant, and a boy from school who might just be Bindi's very first crush.
The strength of this book, definitely, is in its characterization. There are quite a few characters, and yet none of them is flat, or ignored. Everyone comes to life, and as a result, The Dancing Pancake becomes a vibrant and interesting character unto itself. Bindi is a sympathetic and realistic character, and particularly appealing is her desire to live out the values she has learned in church and do the right thing by the people she cares about. I'd never read anything by Eileen Spinelli before, but I would definitely like to read more now!
I would also love to see more illustrations from Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, whose charming pen and ink drawings brought Bindi and her family to life in the white space surrounding each poem. I also absolutely loved the cover, and had only one complaint, which is that a plastic spider that figures heavily into the plot seems to be missing from the illustration.
Bindi's parents have recently separated and she and her mom have moved into the apartment above her aunt's new restaurant, The Dancing Pancake. As Bindi tries to make sense of her parents' separation, she experiences sadness and anger coupled with hope that they might work things out. She also interacts with the diverse cast of characters who work and eat at the Dancing Pancake, including her four-year-old cousin, Jackson, teenage waitress Ruby Frances, a homeless woman named Grace who eats meals in the restaurant, and a boy from school who might just be Bindi's very first crush.
The strength of this book, definitely, is in its characterization. There are quite a few characters, and yet none of them is flat, or ignored. Everyone comes to life, and as a result, The Dancing Pancake becomes a vibrant and interesting character unto itself. Bindi is a sympathetic and realistic character, and particularly appealing is her desire to live out the values she has learned in church and do the right thing by the people she cares about. I'd never read anything by Eileen Spinelli before, but I would definitely like to read more now!
I would also love to see more illustrations from Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, whose charming pen and ink drawings brought Bindi and her family to life in the white space surrounding each poem. I also absolutely loved the cover, and had only one complaint, which is that a plastic spider that figures heavily into the plot seems to be missing from the illustration.