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The Last Dance

Author Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Debrah Santini
Paperback
$8.95 US
Holiday House | Peachtree
6.9"W x 12"H x 0.12"D   | 6 oz | 90 per carton
On sale Jan 04, 2022 | 32 Pages | 978-1-56145-687-1
Age 8-12 years | Grades 3-7
Reading Level: Lexile AD580L | Fountas & Pinnell R
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A beautiful picture book for older readers about life, death, and the enduring power of love from award-winning author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy.

Bessie and Ninny are the best of friends. Sometimes on milk-moon nights, Ninny throws buttons at Bessie's window. When Bessie peeks outside, Ninny sings: "Bessie, oh Bessie! Come dance with me! For I hate to dance alone..."

Down the drainpipe Bessie slides to visit Ninny, and off they go. Most nights, they visit the grave of Ninny's grandfather, Oppa. It was Oppa who taught them three things that they will never forget: to dance, to sing, and to tell stories. Oppah's wisdom ultimately inspires a pact between the two young friends—a pact that binds them together through love and marriage, war and separation, birth and death.

In this simple but extraordinary story, New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy speaks to readers about the value of promises and the limitless power of love even in the face of death.
  • WINNER | 1999
    Not Just For Children Anymore!
"Deedy lovingly lulls readers into the intimacy of the reminiscence. . . Santini's watercolors, sometimes vague, mostly dreamy, enhance the feeling of events recalled through time. . . . Use this with older readers as a fine example of what family history can be. It's like a full cloth made from the remnants of people's lives, with all the humor, pathos, and drama that's necessary for a very effective, personal sort of storytelling." —Booklist
Carmen Agra Deedy is a New York Times best-selling author and renowned storyteller. Her books have received numerous awards and honors. Carmen has performed in many prestigious venues, but children are her favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the United States as a refugee and like most immigrants sees the world from multiple perspectives. She lives in Georgia.

Debrah Santini holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a faculty member of the art department at West Georgia College. The illustrator of several children's books, she lives in Georgia.
Carmen Agra Deedy View titles by Carmen Agra Deedy
Debrah Santini View titles by Debrah Santini

About

A beautiful picture book for older readers about life, death, and the enduring power of love from award-winning author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy.

Bessie and Ninny are the best of friends. Sometimes on milk-moon nights, Ninny throws buttons at Bessie's window. When Bessie peeks outside, Ninny sings: "Bessie, oh Bessie! Come dance with me! For I hate to dance alone..."

Down the drainpipe Bessie slides to visit Ninny, and off they go. Most nights, they visit the grave of Ninny's grandfather, Oppa. It was Oppa who taught them three things that they will never forget: to dance, to sing, and to tell stories. Oppah's wisdom ultimately inspires a pact between the two young friends—a pact that binds them together through love and marriage, war and separation, birth and death.

In this simple but extraordinary story, New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy speaks to readers about the value of promises and the limitless power of love even in the face of death.

Awards

  • WINNER | 1999
    Not Just For Children Anymore!

Praise

"Deedy lovingly lulls readers into the intimacy of the reminiscence. . . Santini's watercolors, sometimes vague, mostly dreamy, enhance the feeling of events recalled through time. . . . Use this with older readers as a fine example of what family history can be. It's like a full cloth made from the remnants of people's lives, with all the humor, pathos, and drama that's necessary for a very effective, personal sort of storytelling." —Booklist

Author

Carmen Agra Deedy is a New York Times best-selling author and renowned storyteller. Her books have received numerous awards and honors. Carmen has performed in many prestigious venues, but children are her favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the United States as a refugee and like most immigrants sees the world from multiple perspectives. She lives in Georgia.

Debrah Santini holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a faculty member of the art department at West Georgia College. The illustrator of several children's books, she lives in Georgia.
Carmen Agra Deedy View titles by Carmen Agra Deedy
Debrah Santini View titles by Debrah Santini

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