The Dancing Pancake

The Dancing Pancake
by Eileen Spinelli
ill. by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
juvenile realistic fiction - in verse
248 pages
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2010

Bindi is struggling with life. Her parents are separated for reasons she doesn't understand. She is good friends with a couple girls and a boy, but the dynamics of the friendships seem to be undergoing a change. Her mother join her aunt and uncle in opening a cafe called The Dancing Pancake. All of these things together require her to move out of the house she has always known into an apartment over the restaurant. As she comes to terms with all the changes surrounding her, Bindi grows up and realizes changes aren't always a bad thing.
As I read this, I was frequently reminded of another book I read recently - It's Raining Cupcakes. The similarities include family and friendship issues and mother opening a themed restaurant. That being said, they are quite different as well. The Dancing Cupcake is told in verse and overall has a lighter tone. Eileen Spinelli writes great stories about young girls dealing with life.

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