Dancing on the Edge [Hardcover]

 

 

Create your own review

Miracle McCloy, born from a dead woman's body, is struggling to keep up to all of her family's expectations. Living through a life full of drama she finally figures out who she really is. Her grandmother is always telling her about how her sweet young mother was hit by a car right before Miracle was born. She hates this. It makes her feel as if she is not real. Miracle lives with her grandmother and her father, Dane until one night Dane unexpectedly disappears and Miracle's life of drama begins. Miracle and her grandmother move in with her grandfather; both grandparents want her to grow up to be something different. Slowly and painfully Miracle starts loosing her family members one by one until the only person left is her Aunt Casey. As Miracle continues to live with Aunt Casey she starts feeling more and more unreal until one day it over powers her and she does the one thing possible to make her feel real again. After this incident she is brought to a psychiatrist and all of the hidden secrets of her family come out. Miracle then continues the struggle of being able to accept what her Aunt Casey has to tell her.

This is by far the best book I have ever read. It is full of emotion and sure to make you feel as if you were in every scene. It shows the struggle of figuring out who you are and that family secrets can really damage the family. I thought this book was so good I was sad when it ended and I will probably continue to read it over and over again. This book is also really interesting because I am just a little younger than her and I am really able to relate to some of the things she is going through. After reading this book I realize the importance of the little things in life, including family and friends. I STRONGLY recommend this book to girls from the age of 10 or 11 and up.

Always being told she was special girl because she was a "live baby coming out of the body of a dead woman," heart of the novel Miracle McCloy has often tried to battle the fact that she just doesn't fit in with other children her age because of her lack to socialize and her general appearance. She likes to dress like her father Dane. Even adults in the story believe that Miracle is a little off.
This story begins in Alabama with Miracle and her clairvoyant grandmother, Gigi who is a firm believer in the symbolism of colors that make up an individual's aura. She also lived with her father Dane who was said to be a prodigy, writing his first successful novel at age thirteen. He was the only remaining parent Miracle had; then, one day he disappeared from the basement of their house and Gigi told Miracle that he melted right out of his clothes which had been left behind from his disappearance.
The two of them then picked up and left Alabama to live with Gigi's ex-husband, Granddaddy Opal. They decided to live with him because many people were gossiping about Gigi causing Dane's disappearance with one of her crazy séances and Gigi knew kids would pick on Miracle even more at school. Granddaddy Opal secretly arranged for Miracle to take up dancing lessons because she was so fascinated with her dead mother's interest in it. These lessons gave Miracle a new sense of freedom and truly made her feel special for once in her life. She became extremely wild and you could even say violent with herself when she took these dance lessons. She just lost control of her body, throwing herself at walls and on the ground and running into things, but not thinking enough about it to tell anyone.
With Miracle's new sense of freedom, she soon discovers a way that she can belong at school by imitating Gigi's clairvoyant ceremonies and rituals after school and between classes. Casting love spells and making love potions for her classmates and other students made her become quite popular at school. While this is going on, another girl her age watches Miracle in her art and comes to her house and accuses her of being a phony. Miracle then becomes very depressed with herself once again, but this time she is so depressed that she sets fire to herself. After this happens she can't remember too much. When she is found by her screaming grandmother she is then placed in a mental hospital.
This is a wonderful novel that can help readers to handle themes such as suicide and mental illness. I personally love it because dysfunctional families are becoming quite popular in young adult novels, but this family doesn't quite fit that mold making it very original and intriguing. Another theme of this book raises awareness to the fact that one must not blame themselves for every bad thing that happens in their life, as Miracle did with her father's death and as many kids and teenagers do. How does she deal with her mental illness? Does her sickness get better or get worse? This interesting fictional character is unforgettable and so is her life's outcome.

The novel Dancing On The Edge, by Han Nolan, inspired me to think for myself and not let other people push me into activities that I don't enjoy. This novel features a young girl named Miracle McCloy who discovers that she controls her actions and not anyone else. Born and pulled alive from her dead mothers body, Miracle is truly a once in a lifetime miracle. Her mother died in an accident. Dancing On The Edge is an adventurous and exciting story containing many emotions including, grief, pleasure, rage, and confusion. In this inspiring novel we are taken through many extreme events that occur in Miracle's life. For example, when her father suddenly disappears one night; Miracle is told, by her Grandmother, to believe that her father has "melted". She is then forced into living with her psychic grandmother and many other family members who live with each other from house to house, who fight over her. Her Grandmother, Gigi works with and believes in the Ouija boards and being able to contact the dead from "the other side" and talk to them through Ouija boards, crystal balls and tarot cards. Later on Miracle attempts to "melt " herself by lighting candles in her fathers old drinking glasses and ends up severely burning her lower body. She believed that if she "melted "herself, she would be able to see her father again. If she could just melt herself maybe she wouldn't feel so emotionally and mentally alone. Miracle is then taken to a hospital to be treated for her wounds and slight emotional problems or insanity. Miracle finally realized that everything her Grandmother ever told her about anything is a lie thanks to her Aunt Casey. Her Aunt Casey then takes her to a mental institute, for her to vent all her pent up anger from being lied to about so many things over such a long time. There, a psychiatrist, and her loving and caring Aunt Casey help her to get a hold of her reality based emotional side and try to help her figure out what is really going on in her life at the moment. During the first few appointments Miracle didn't talk much but then she then slowly started to reveal family secrets to the Dr and Aunt Casey. Miracle told the doctor and her Aunt everything that Gigi ever said. She also told them the reasons why she tried to melt herself, which was so she would hopefully be able to see her father again. Miracle now slowly begins to recognize the truth about everything and that her grandmother was just telling lies all along. She realized that her entire life was basically one big web of lies that her grandmother created.
Dancing On The Edge taught to believe in myself and believe that I can do anything I put my mind to. This novel also taught me to think for myself and not let other people control my life all of the time. I think that the theme of this novel is, that you can't believe everything that everyone tells you, you have to think for yourself.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 53 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Miracle
In the land of reason, there is no superstition, but in the world of magic, there is no need for logic. Read more

Published on Feb 17 2004 by Regina

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite book
At first I was reluctant about reading this book, thinking it was just another cliche teenage novel about dancing. Little did I know how wrong i was. Read more

Published on Sep 13 2003 by prettykitty123

4.0 out of 5 stars Miracle is a miracle
Han Nolen has created a beautiful yet somehow chilling story of a girl, Miracle, who lives in a world where every number, every color has a meaning and where you can speak to the... Read more

Published on Jun 22 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars read me
Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan is an amazing novel. Both Miracle and her story are very interesting. Read more

Published on May 22 2003 by Marissa McGehe/ Bak Middle Sch...

4.0 out of 5 stars Dancing With Nolan
"Dancing on the Edge" is a thought provoking and intriguing book. The author Han Nolan allows you to take the place of a young child named Miracle who naively believes everything... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching
"Dancing on the Edge" by Han Nolan, is a book that presents a great story, which helps to show us the ups and downs in life. Read more

Published on Feb 10 2003 by Ian Troxell

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
This is a really great book about a girl trying to find herself. Her mother was hit by an ambulance while she was pregnant, and she was dead when the doctors cut the baby, living,... Read more

Published on Nov 16 2002 by Liza

3.0 out of 5 stars Danielle Gjergji's Review for Dancing on the Edge
This story is about a girl named Miracle McCoy. She lives with her grandmother Gigi, who is a medium which means she can contact dead people. Read more

Published on Oct 30 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and Addicting
As soon as I started reading Dancing on the Edge, I immediately got into it. Since Miracle is about the same age as myself, I know what it feels like at that age. Read more

Published on July 19 2002 by Hilary

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book you should read
This book is about a fascinating girl named Miracle. She was named Miracle because rumor was to believe that she was born from her mother, who was hit by an ambulance, and gave... Read more

Published on Jan 31 2002 by Annah Lee

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 53 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!