The Phoenix Dance - Hardcover

Calhoun, Dia

3.69

629 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374359105 ISBN 13: 9780374359102

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2005

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A journey through madness and mania

On the island of Faranor in the kingdom of Windward, twelve princesses dance their shoes to shreds each night. No one knows why. Not the king or queen. Not the knights, lords, or ladies-in-waiting. When the queen blames the royal shoemaker, his apprentice, Phoenix Dance, puts her life at risk to solve the mystery. She braves magic spells, dragons, evil wizards, and the treachery of the princesses themselves. As Phoenix faces these dangers, she finds herself caught in the dangerous dance inside herself – a dance of darkness and light, a dance that presents her with the greatest challenge of her life.

This captivating companion to Aria of the Sea weaves a retelling of Grimm’s fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses with the story of a young woman’s inward journey toward an understanding of a scary, unpredictable part of her own nature.

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About the Author:

Dia Calhoun is the author of Aria of the Sea, Firegold, and White Midnight, all ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She lives in Tacoma, Washington.

From The Phoenix Dance "Listen, Phoenix," she said. "We have good news for you. Don't you want to hear it?" "All right, all right. Yes, of course, right away. Tell me now. I can't believe the shoemaker was so kind to me. He said to come back whenever--" "Phoenix!" Aunt Liona rapped the wooden spoon against the mixing bowl. "Listen. This is important. It's about your future." "My future?" Phoenix asked. "About that--" "You finished your standard schooling two months ago," Aunt Twisle interrupted. "I wish so much that you could go on to higher schooling, but you know that's beyond our means. So we must find a suitable occupation for you." "You've just turned fourteen, the age to be apprenticed," Aunt Liona added. "Exactly!" Phoenix cried. "That's my news! The shoemaker had a sign in his window today--apprentice wanted, inquire within. He's looking for an apprentice. I want to be his apprentice. I want to learn to make the most beautiful shoes in the kingdom!" The room was silent. "My darling, talented niece, apprentice to a shoemaker?" Aunt Mulgaussy asked. "Absolutely not." "When sharks turn into lambs," said Aunt Liona. "Never," said Aunt Twisle.

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