Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance

By Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall

In the sixth entry in the New York Times–bestselling series, two best friends learn about ballet, promises, and how to be a squid.

Finally! After months of begging their parents for ballet lessons, Ivy and Bean finally get what they want . . . well, not exactly. Much to their surprise, it turns out ballet lessons do not cover karate chops and roundhouse kicks. The girls have no interest in learning how to dance gracefully, but they promised their parents they would finish the entire ballet course! When it comes time for Ivy and Bean to participate in the ocean-themed class recital, the girls must figure out a way to get out of it without breaking their promises.

Praise for Doomed to Dance

“Another pleasing adventure, engagingly illustrated and fun for new readers.” —Booklist

“The story is solidly written, and the expressive black-and-white illustrations, some full page, add to the humor. Early chapter-book readers will appreciate and relate to the friends’ dilemma.” —School Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9780811876568

Annie Barrows

Annie Barrows is a middle-aged lady who doesn’t talk very much, which is why none of the kids who hang out in her house noticed that she was writing down everything they said. She’s like a ninja, except she’s never killed anyone. Okay, okay, she’s also the author of the Ivy + Bean books—remember them? They were fun!—and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. All of which were New York Times bestsellers, if you care about that kind of thing. www.anniebarrows.com

Book preview

BALLET OR BUST

It was a book that started all the trouble. Read, read, read! That’s all grown-ups ever say to me, said Bean, but when I finally do read, I get in trouble. She slumped in her chair. And then the grown-ups take the book away.

Ivy nodded. It’s totally not fair, she agreed. And they shouldn’t blame us anyway. It’s all Grandma’s fault.

Ivy’s grandma had sent her the book. It was called The Royal Book of the Ballet. Each chapter told the story of a different ballet, with pictures of fancy girls in feathery tutus and satin toe shoes.

Bean was at Ivy’s house on the day it arrived. They were supposed to be subtracting, but they were tired of that so they ripped open the package and sat down side by side on Ivy’s couch to look at The Royal Book of the Ballet.

I heard that sometimes their toes bleed when they’re dancing, said Bean. The blood leaks right through the satin part.

That’s gross, said Ivy, turning the pages. Suddenly she stopped.

Whoa, Nellie, murmured Bean, staring.

Is she kicking his head off? asked Ivy in a whisper.

That’s what it looks like, said Bean. What’s this one called, anyway?

Ivy flipped back a few pages. "Giselle, she said, reading quickly. It’s about a girl named Giselle who, um, dances with this duke guy, but he’s going to marry a princess, not Giselle, so she takes his sword and stabs herself." Ivy and Bean found the picture of that.

Ew, said Bean. But interesting.

Yeah, and then she turns into a ghost with all these other girls. They’re called the Wilis.

The picture showed a troop of beautiful women dressed in white. They had very long fingernails.

And then, Ivy read on, the duke goes to see Giselle’s grave, and she comes out with the Wilis, and they decide to dance him to death. Ivy stared at the picture. "To death."

Bean leaned over for a closer look. It was pretty amazing. Giselle’s pointed toe had snapped the duke’s head up so that his chin pointed straight up to the sky. It would fall off in a moment. The Wilis stood in a circle, waving their long fingernails admiringly.

Bean lifted the page, wishing that she could see more of the picture, but there was no more. There never was. Wow, she said, shaking her head. She showed him.

For a few minutes, Ivy and Bean sat in silence, thinking.

Okay, Ivy said finally. I’m Giselle, and you’re the duke.

All right, said Bean. But next time, I get to be Giselle.

It was fun playing Giselle, even though Ivy’s mom wouldn’t let them dance with a knife and they had to use a Wiffle bat instead. After they had each been Giselle a couple of times, they were Wilis, waving long Scotch-tape fingernails as they danced various people to death.

Mrs. Noble! shrieked Bean. I’m dancing Mrs. Noble to death. Ivy ran to get a pair of her mother’s high heels and pretended to be Mrs. Noble, a fifth-grade

Reviews for Ivy and Bean Doomed to Dance

[ruby0l0edwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love it because they learn what they shouldn't do and what is right to do. They tried to escape ballet and when they tried to skip it, they get in big trouble. And at the end, they very well like ballet.

[lolhscybrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series came highly recommended by my niece. Even an adult can appreciate the stories within this series. My niece and I have frequented our local used book store as copies of the books within this series. They don't stay on the shelves of her school library and fly out of the used bookseller but the hunt is worth it. I'd recommend this to an emerging reader in a heartbeat. The stories, including this one about embarking on ballet lessons are easy to connect and relate to.

[sagustocox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Normally, I don't review children's books, but I've made an exception (yes, they do happen). I remember buying a set of Ivy + Bean books for The Girl from Diary of an Eccentric because one of the books had to do with dinosaur fossils and I had read on someone's blog (not sure who) that these books were fantastic. The Girl, suffice to say, loved them and told me all about the straws up the nose and other little tidbits from her books.In Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance, Ivy and Bean are typical second-grade girls who are willing to try just about anything, and they sometimes find themselves getting into trouble or at least over their heads. In Doomed to Dance, the girls read a book about ballet and decide that they should take ballet, so they can become ballerinas in Giselle. The only problem is that ballet is not as fun or easy as it seems."'She doesn't leap like a kitty. She leaps like a frog,' Bean whispered to Ivy." (Page 24) "'We can't be squids if we break our arms,' said Ivy. 'Remember what Madame Joy said? We're supposed to wave our tentacles gently to the passing tide. No way can we do that if we've got broken arms, Right?'" (Page 40)While Ivy and Bean get into trouble -- and what kid doesn't? -- they always manage to find the positive in their situation or make amends. Some of the funniest scenes in this book are when Ivy and Bean try to get sick on purpose, having other kids cough and sneeze all over them. Young readers will laugh out loud at the antics of these young girls, and parents will enjoy these books because of the lessons they teach about responsibility and imagination. Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance is a fun read at nearly 130 pages, and these characters will worm their way into kids hearts easily.

[ahanch1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I especially enjoyed this book because I can personally relate to it! When I was younger, I was a dancer just like the two friends in the book. However, it wasn't as exciting as I expected it to be and I wanted to quit! When readers can make personal meaning to the book, they become more engaged and their comprehension will be enhanced. Even if readers do not dance, they can relate to the book by the large amount of hobbies that one of the characters quit. The aquarium is also a fun topic within this book! Overall, the book was very exciting to read. The central message is to find the joy out of everything.Summary: After reading a book about Ballet, Ivy and Bean really wanted to start taking ballet classes. Bean's mother was skeptical about this idea because Bean had quit many hobbies in the past. However, both Ivy and Bean promised to take ballet classes until the recital without complaining. Both of their moms finally agreed and said yes. The two girls were super excited! They expected to do many leaps and jumps in class! The first day of class finally came, and there were no leaps or jumps involved. None in the second, or third, or fourth class either. The class was only learning the basics of ballet. Both of them soon became bored and had a hard time grasping the dance moves and positions. They were getting angry. They thought they were going to be doing amazing and fun things in ballet class! Ivy and Bean could never complain to their parents though, they promised. The ballet teacher announced that they would be doing a dance for an audience. Ivy and Bean were stuck playing squid during the dance. They were beyond disappointed! Neither of them wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the whole audience by wearing squid costumes. Since they couldn't complain, they had to find another way out of this embarrassing mess. Ivy and Bean both tried getting sick, didn't work. Ivy and Bean both tried spraining an arm, didn't work. Suddenly, Ivy came up with another idea! During their field trip to the aquarium, Ivy and Bean would run away so they would not have to perform as squid. When the day came, they were determined that their plan to run away would work. After they finally lost their class in the aquarium, they became lost themselves. They found themselves in a dark room. After they finally found a light switch, they turned it on. They were shocked at what they saw! A very scary squid swam right towards them at a fast pace. The girls screamed and ran out of the room! The teacher and the girls mothers were extremely upset that the girls did not follow the safety rules at the aquarium. So there were Ivy and Bean, stuck at square one. They were back to having to perform as squids in their ballet dance. Since they learned how scary squids actually were at the aquarium, they couldn't help but to laugh at their non scary squid costumes. Suddenly, they found themselves enjoying and laughing at the situation.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Best friends Ivy and Bean learn that it's best to be careful what you wish for in this sixth installment of author Annie Barrows and illustrator Sophie Blackall's series of chapter-books devoted to their (mis)adventures. Looking through a copy of The Royal Book of the Ballet one day, the two second-graders discover a series of photographs from Giselle, and, misinterpreting one of the scenes, come to the conclusion that ballet involves learning to kick people in the face, or to dance them to death (as with the wilis). Pestering their parents, who (quite naturally) feel that this new interest will soon wain, and the new hobby be abandoned - much like softball, in Bean's case, and ice-skating, in Ivy's - the girls eventually succeed in enrolling in ballet lessons. Their horror, when they discover that Madame Joy's class involves nothing so dramatic as kick-boxing, is compounded by their promise not to quit, or to complain. Matters reach a crisis level, however, when they are cast as squid in the upcoming recital, and the two are soon embroiled in a scheme to run away...Although I found the premise of Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance quite amusing - most books about ballet, for young readers, seem to take it as a given that it is a desirable and beautiful activity - and appreciated the charming artwork just as much as in previous installments of the series, something fell a little short for me here. I wouldn't say that there was anything wrong with the story, but I just wasn't as entertained as I expected to be. That said, I did appreciate the references to E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, when Ivy and Bean are plotting their escape to the aquarium, although I would have preferred if the book had been named, in the story. All in all, a pleasant but unremarkable addition to the series - we'll have to see if subsequent titles improve!