Saint Vitus' Dance - Hardcover

Rubalcaba, Jill

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Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395727685 ISBN 13: 9780395727683

Publisher: Clarion Books, 1996

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Thirteen-year-old Melanie feels angry and guilty because she is worried about herself instead of her mother, who has Huntington's chorea, a hereditary condition, until Melanie finds the strength to face her mother's illness and her own uncertain future.

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About the Author:

Jill Rubalcaba, author of A PLACE IN THE SUN, UNCEGILA'S SEVENTH SPOT, and ST. VITUS' DANCE, lives in Haddam, Connecticut.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-10?As long as she possibly can, 14-year-old Melanie pretends that nothing is wrong with her mother. However, as Huntington's Chorea (now called HD, Huntington's Disease) progresses, causing spasmodic movement, dementia, and erratic behavior, Melanie can't ignore the crisis. Her father, remote and involved in his work, sees nothing. After her mother's diagnosis, she fears that she will inherit the terminal, genetically carried disease. She turns to faith and solitude, and from that point, the plot is developed mostly internally. Some of the characters are memorable, especially Melanie, tortured and alone, and Miss Rosilda, the fortune-teller who provides comfort though she can't really see the future. In the final chapters, Melanie's father acknowledges the importance of their small family. Finally, Melanie steps from the shadows to feel love and empathy for her institutionalized mother and to accept the future. Told with first-person immediacy, the narrative is realistic and the language is sometimes rhythmic. Detail suggests that the story is set in a middle-American mill town sometime in the middle of the century, and the flavor of a tight community is well captured. An author's note about HD is appended. The themes of this title, the damage of prejudice, awareness of HD, and the importance of caring, are valuable. Readers will be engaged by the plot and characters and learn a bit along the way.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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