Since the recent death of her Grandma Kam, twelve year-old Lizzie is a carer for her beloved yet grieving Wai Gong. They both miss her and try to keep up their routine of watching dancing on the TV every Saturday night – just like Grandma Kam used to do too. Lizzie has always dreamed of visiting the famous ballroom but it’s miles from Glasgow!
Opening her birthday presents, she discovers that Grandma Kam has left her four tickets for afternoon tea at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool! Delighted with her gift, she knows that money is tight along with how Wai Gong will cope with a trip south. Determined to get to the home of the glitter ball, Lizzie begins to plan their adventure with the help of her friends, Chi and Tyler.
Dreams of glitter and sequins fill her thoughts but she worries about Wai Gong as he becomes more forgetful and distant. With the help of family and her friends they finally head towards Blackpool amid joyous chaos and mayhem every step of the way.
Maisie Chan’s fantastic novel ‘Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu‘, with superb cover by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong, is full of love and friendship but also includes the pressures that being a young carer can bring. Working through grief and the responsibility of looking after an ailing relative takes courage and commitment. Maisie’s respect and acknowledgement of this threads through the book ensuring the reader is right beside Lizzie through the good days and the bad.
A fantastic book for every school and library!
Leave a Reply