A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Pages: 307
Intended Audience: Mature Tweens
Genre: Novel in Verse
Notes for Parents: There are some mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Veda is a prize-winning dancer, skilled in the fine art of traditional Indian Bharatanatyam.
Then she is injured in a bus accident, and her right leg must be amputated below the knee. Her dance teacher does not believe she will ever dance again.
But Veda is too passionate to abandon her dream and finds a new teacher who shares her hope. And though she must relearn even the most basic of steps, his faith in her allows her to reclaim the art form that has brought her so much joy.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author was born in India and now lives in the United States. She is a trained oceanographer.

What’s good?

This is an emotional story told lyrically in verse about a dancer who loses her leg in an accident. It’s a beautiful portrait of a culture, a country (India), and a dance form (Bharatanatyam). While the narrative focuses on perseverance and resilience, this is also a story about Veda’s relationships with her family, her friends, and her teachers. It also develops into a sweet love story. Characterization is well down, the plot is simple, and the writing is strong.
Best Part: Veda is an inspiring character.

What isn’t good?

My only complaint is that the story moved a little slow. This was a character-driven story that relied on emotion, so the pace was a gentle flow of grief and determination rather than a heart-pounding adventure. The outcome was fairly predictable.
Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation þþþþo

This was a simple and easy-to-read tale about a girl dealing with adversity. Rhythmic, expressive, and passionate, this story was beautifully told. There is no action or adventure, it’s a story about struggle, passion, and hard work. Readers who can relate to those things will enjoy this novel. Recommended.

Venkatraman, Padma. A Time to Dance. New York: Scholastic, 2014.