top of page
REENI’S TURN is the story of a skilled young dancer who struggles with lifelong shyness and performance anxiety, but still dreams of being in the spotlight. On top of those worries, her newly-developing body doesn’t match the ballerina posters on her bedroom wall that now seem to mock her—"You'll never be like us!"
Can Reeni find the courage she needs to dance in front of an audience just as she is?
IN THE SPOTLIGHT!
Chicago Jewish History, 2021
Children's Book Council Hot Off the Press, 2020
Midwest Book Review, Story Monsters Ink Shelf
University of Chicago Lab School 'Rites of Passage/Puberty' Curriculum 2021
Poetry for Children, Novels in Verse 2020
RACHEL KAMIN—Chicago Jewish History (Book Issue)
"The story addresses universal themes of emotional resilience, body acceptance, and the search for courage, identity, and voice. Jillian Bietz, at the Jewish Book Council, writes: "There is significant Jewish content in the book; Reeni’s family celebrates Shabbat and other holidays, and Reeni even expresses how dancing evokes emotion that parallels what she experiences at Yom Kippur services....
Carol Coven Grannick’s prose is elegant and impactful. Not one word is wasted in this heartfelt story."
While I worked on REENI'S TURN, I'm grateful to have been honored with:
Illinois Arts Council Grants 2018-19 and 2020-21
Ragdale Foundation Writer's Residency, 2016
Highlights Foundation Scholarship, Novel in Verse
Finalist 2016 Katherine Paterson Award at Hunger Mountain
Honorable Mention 2018 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award
bottom of page