Not quite as good as "Willow and Twig" - that's my favourite Jean Little book by far - but still excellent. The only part I didn't quite understand was how the two main characters "found" each other - it seemed to easy. But other than that, very enjoyable! ( )

This book was really insipering with the most amazing endding ever i dont think yiou could ever make a better ending then that. I loved it so much I dont even know how to describe this book. I loved the main caracter she was wonderful I wish i knew someone like her. I recomend this book to EVERYONE! ( )

Of course, you did not expect me to neglect Jean Little's newest novel? Even amidst Cybils reading, Goosebumps parties, and exciting colds. Jean Little's pervading theme is hope and tenacity; her protagonists are stubborn try-try-againers and there's always hope that they will have a family, friends, and success in their struggles.

Dancing Through the Snow is no exception. Litterbin Min, as a mean bully at school labels her, knows she's a throwaway. She doesn't know who her parents were, the woman who raised her abandoned her, and every foster family has given her back. And now she's being dumped back at Children's Aid again, only a few weeks before Christmas. But this time, it's different. Jess Hart, the doctor who's been in and out of Min's life since she was small, happens to be passing and suddenly Min is scooped up and plunked down in a loving home for the holidays. Jess, who had an even more traumatic childhood than Min, is the first person who really understands; and she breaks Min's hard shell and opens her heart. Experiencing the healing power of love Min begins to learn to give back; to an abused and damaged stray puppy, to Jess's godson, and to her new friends at school. A new life, a new family, and a new Min: it's the perfect Christmas miracle.

Verdict: A story of hope and new beginnings, perfect for middle grade readers who like realistic fiction or for a family read-aloud.

ISBN: 978-1935279150; Published June 2009 by Kane Miller; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist

A good quick read about a girl who was abandoned at the tender age of three and left to fend for herself in foster home after foster home. When she is 'given back' right before Christmas, Min doesn't seem to see an end to this vicious cycle, but is swept off her feet by a real-life angel. ( )

Dancing Through The Snow is the story about a girl named Min who has been in numerous foster homes since the age of 3. As many kids who grow up in the system Min has learned to be self sufficient, doesn't talk or socialize much and after being left at the Children's Aid office yet again by the latest foster mother, begins to believe what the kids at school are saying: she's a "garbage girl".

She doesn't know what a family is and has never lived with one long enough to make friends or attach to anyone.

Min ends up going to live with Dr Jessica Hart and slowly she learns Jessica's history, finds friends in Toby and a severely injured, abused dog she named Emily. This is the story of Min and learning to trust, to care for someone other than herself and learning to love them.

This would make a wonderful stocking stuffer or birthday gift and I would highly recommend it for kids 9+. If your kids are younger you may want to read it first or with them so you can answer questions as they come up. ( )