Review: Reeni's Turn
Reeni's Turn by Carol Coven Grannick Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Mozer Buy at Bookshop.org Reeni's Turn is a disturbing but important look at an eleven-year-old dancer's spiral into self-doubt and body shaming, which leads to a crippling eating disorder. Told in verse, readers enter Reeni's mind as she deals with important issues faced by pre-teens. Thanks to a good friend and her family, Reeni gets the help she needs to be able to see herself and her relationship with food differently in order to become the healthy, confident dancer she needs to be to get on stage and perform. The Jewish content in Reeni's Turn is woven into the story as part of Reeni's experience. So much of Judaism's celebration focuses on food so Shabbat dinners and Passover Seders are part of the backdrop of Reeni's thoughts about food and her own body. The book has literary merit and is appropriate for the intended grade level in style, vocabulary, format, and illustra...