Sunday, May 15, 2005

Dance Jam Productions by Celise Downs

Everybody has secrets, but ever since she was seven, Mataya Black Hawk has had secrets she never wants to tell. Ever. Something horrible happened in her past, and it’s not something she wants to discuss with anybody, not even her best friends. Her past has had such an effect on her life that an ex-Navy SEAL, Tykota Black Hawk, guards her, and wolves roam her property. Because of old fears, Mattie is at first unwilling to enter into a relationship with the opposite sex, but when Jarek Thanos, the hot nephew of her dance teacher, enters her life, she realizes that she should let go of the past and take hold of the future. She and Jarek enter a dance competition together, discover a heinous plot, accept her past, and finally have a happy ending.

"Dance Jam Productions" moves with the speed of light, but leaves much more of an impression. Great for the reluctant teenage reader and for suspense fans, this book had a lot of character crammed into its 135 pages, keeping the reader frantically turning its pages in an effort to finish the story. Despite its great plot, there were a few problems with the book. Jarek, for example, blurts out Mattie’s past without thinking, and then, at minor prompting from his friend, tells everything he knows about her without regard to how she would feel. Though the friend acts suspiciously, the event occurs within twenty pages of the conclusion, and is never mentioned again, leaving the reader wondering what the author was thinking. Crudity and language were common. Definitely a teen novel, and definitely an interesting read.

Rating: 7

Review written by Anna Kleiner