*Shortlisted

Review by Eno, Year 6, St Cecilia’s
Dance of Resistance tells the inspiring life of Josephine Baker. This book explains how she grew up in poverty and faced racism in the US but later became a famous performer in France. During WWII she helped the French Resistance by secretly passing on information. The story is interesting and inspiring because it shows how brave and determined Baker was. Overall, this book is interesting and inspiring, and I would recommend it to people who enjoy theatre and inspiration stories. 

Review by Chloe (Year 6, age 11) 
This is a fictional account of a real person's life. This book is about the life of singer/ dancer Josephine Baker, from the start of her life in America in a poor family, and the hardships she endured, such as prejudice against people of colour. It is about her rise to stardom as a performer, and her life helping the resistance in France and the civil rights movement in America. From this book I learned that in France, they never segregated people based on their skin colour. Josephine Baker considered herself French. Josephine Baker had a mini zoo with lots of her pets in it. It is set before and then during World War II, which is very interesting because you get to see some of the key events that shaped World War II. My favourite character was Josephine because she came up from when she was poor and bad things happened to her, but then she came to triumph. This book would be suitable for 10- to 12-year-olds who love history and learning about World War II.  

Review by Celia Li, Dolphin School, London 
I really enjoyed reading Dance of Resistance because it is about standing up for what is right, even when things are difficult. The story felt powerful and made me think about courage and teamwork. It also had lots of emotional moments that made it interesting to read. 

My favourite character was the main character - Josephine Baker - because she was very brave and never gave up, even when things were scary. I also liked her friends because they supported each other and worked as a team. This showed how important friendship is. 

There were some characters I didn’t really like, especially the ones who tried to stop others from being free or expressing themselves. They made the story more tense, but also a bit frustrating because they were unfair. 

I learned about how people can use things like dance or art to express their feelings and fight for what they believe in. It taught me that you don’t always need words to make a difference. 

What stood out to me the most was how the characters used dance as a way to resist and show their strength. It was unique and made the story different from other books I have read. 

I would recommend this book to other pupils, especially if they like stories about friendship, bravery, and standing up for what is right. It is inspiring and meaningful. 

I also learned some new words while reading, especially words about emotions and movement. This helped improve my vocabulary. 

One small thing I didn’t like was that some parts were a bit confusing at first, but as I kept reading, it made more sense. 

Overall, I think Dance of Resistance is a very good and inspiring novel, and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.