Dancing Queen

by Kelly Starling Lyons

  PENGUIN WORKSHOP

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Text copyright © 2019 by Kelly Starling Lyons. Cover illustration copyright © 2019 by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd, and the W colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us online at www.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 9781524790585 (paperback)

  ISBN 9781524790592 (library binding)

  ISBN 9781524790608 (ebook)

  Version_1

  For everyone who shows kindness and creates change where they are—KSL

  Thanks to my family and friends that keep pushing me to do my best and to never give up when trying new things!—NM

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One: Council Crew

  Chapter Two: Dance Fever

  Chapter Three: Family Jam

  Chapter Four: The Science of Dance

  Chapter Five: A Friend in Need

  Chapter Six: Digging Deep

  Chapter Seven: On the Floor

  Chapter Eight: A New Groove

  Jada’s Rules for Being a Dancing Queen

  Acknowledgments

  About the Authors

  Chapter One:

  COUNCIL CREW

  After school, most kids rush to buses and car pool. But every Tuesday, I dash to Ms. Flowers’s room for student council. Stepping through her door, you can’t help but stand a little taller. Black-and-white posters of people who made a difference smile at you from the walls: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Congressman John Lewis, mathematician Katherine Johnson, architect Maya Lin, and scientist Ernest Everett Just.

  Each one has yellow silk roses around their face. That’s for friendship. Before they were change-makers, Ms. Flowers says, they were somebody’s friend. Just like us.

  “Welcome, Jada,” she said with a grin as bright as her sunny classroom.

  “Hi, Ms. Flowers,” I called back.

  Ms. Flowers always wears a blazer on top of a T-shirt that makes you think. Today’s was stop-sign red and said: “Make Someone’s Day.”

  I spotted my buddy Miles and plopped onto a chair next to him. I love that we get to be in student council together. At first, he was an alternate for my class. But when a kid in another room had too many activities and asked to step down, Miles got his spot.

  Student council president Chelsea Diaz, a fifth-grader, opened the meeting.

  “The PTA thanks us for helping with the penny drive,” she said. “The money we raised will go to our school field trip fund. For our next fund-raiser, let’s think of something else that will make a big difference. Let’s start with the suggestion box.”

  It was my turn to read the week’s ideas. I flipped open the shoebox covered in Brookside colors of silver and blue and saw just one note at the bottom. I unfolded the sheet of notebook paper, and my heart sank as I read: It’s getting cold and I could use a new coat. Actually, my little brother could, too. Do you think student council could work on that?

  I thought about Raleigh. It doesn’t snow like crazy like my mom’s hometown of Syracuse, but some days are freezing. Mom told me that when she was little, her church collected and bought coats each year for people who needed them. Her family donated what they could. And one year, it was my mom and Uncle Rob who were picking new coats for themselves from the giving closet.

  “What if we had a drive called ‘Coats for Caring’?” I said. “We could raise money to buy coats and give them to kids who need them here and in the community.”

  “Great idea, Jada!” Chelsea said.

  “I like that, too,” Miles said. “What if we had a ‘Caring Week,’ where everyone is reminded to show kindness?”

  Ms. Flowers beamed at us like a proud parent.

  “That’s the spirit!” she said. “Jada, I really like your idea. Along with raising money to buy coats, students and parents could bring in gently used ones, too. How are you going to inspire caring acts?”

  “We could pass out kindness bingo boards for kids in kindergarten,” a third-grader named Justice said.

  “And checklists for older ones,” another student added.

  Chelsea nodded as the secretary took notes. She walked over to the whiteboard and grabbed a black dry-erase marker.

  “Okay, what’s our fund-raiser going to be?”

  She wrote our ideas down as we fired them off: Mile run. Cookie sales. Family night at restaurants. They were all good, but we’d been there, done that. We needed something fun and fresh.

  “How about a dance?” Miles said.

  As fast as kids rushing to the floor when a good song comes on, a buzz filled the room. Everyone nodded and whispered. Some showed off moves in their seats. It was a great idea, so why did I feel queasy? I chewed on my bottom lip as my stomach churned.

  “Love that!” Chelsea said. “Ms. Flowers, what do you think? Could we have a dance? We could sell tickets, snacks, and yellow tissue-paper roses for friendship.”

  “Sounds like you have a winner,” Ms. Flowers said with a wink. “Instead of selling tickets, let’s have donation boxes at the entrance. That way, everyone can go and just give if they can. We could also make up a list of fun dances and send pledge sheets home. People could donate money for each dance a student tries for an entire song.”

  Around the room, students nudged each other and bounced in excitement. To close the meeting, we formed a circle, and Chelsea led us in our chant.

  “The Council Crew!”

  “It’s what we do!”

  “The Council Crew!”

  “It’s what we do!”

  “The Council Crew!”

  “It’s what we do!”

  I grinned as I said goodbye to my buddies, but inside I groaned. Dancing with my besties Lena and Simone was cool, but trying out moves in front of everyone didn’t sound like fun to me. Sometimes my mind thinks one thing and my feet do another. But helping friends was what mattered most. I took a breath and let it out slowly. How hard could it be?

  Chapter Two:

  DANCE FEVER

  Monday, when we opened the door to the gym, I knew the news was out. Music boomed and thumped like a party. Instead of starting warm-up exercises, Mr. Best grinned, spun around, and slid his feet from side to side.

  “Go, Mr. B! Go, Mr. B!” kids cheered and danced along.

  “Okay,” he said, laughing. “Everybody take a seat around the circle. I have exciting news. In less than two weeks, we’re having a dance to raise money for coats for kids who need them. There will be a challenge, too: ten dances for you to try. The more you do, the more money you raise.”

  “All right!”

  “Yes!”

  Miles and his best friend RJ high-fived. Simone looked a
t me and Lena and grinned. I knew what she was thinking. They loved to jump rope and had moves like dancers on TV. I stared at the shiny wooden floor.

  “Today, we’re changing gym class to dance class to kick off the fun,” Mr. Best said. Soon, the sounds of the line dance the Cupid Shuffle echoed in the room.

  “Follow me.”

  Mr. Best led us through the steps, one at a time. Walking to the right, I could do that. Walking to the left, okay. Kicking then walking and turning. This wasn’t so bad. But when it was time to put it all together, that’s when things fell apart. Every time the line turned, I was a beat behind. I bumped into someone. I tripped over my feet. I was lost. I moved to the back and hoped nobody caught my stumbles. Thankfully, the bell rang and set me free.

  Simone and Lena didn’t seem to notice.

  “You know we have to do the challenge together,” Simone said.

  “Yeah,” Lena said. “This is going to be awesome.”

  I smiled and nodded even though my head was throbbing. They were my best friends, but no way could I keep up with them. What was I going to do?

  In class, Miss Taylor passed out the kindness checklists and pledge sheets. The more sponsors we signed up and dances we tried, the more money we could raise. No one would keep track of what dances we completed. It was up to us to be honest.

  I scanned the list of dances the Council Crew came up with: the Cupid Shuffle, Whip and Nae Nae, Chicken Dance, the Floss. It went on and on. As I read each one, I felt the jitters jamming in my stomach.

  * * *

  After school, I finished my homework and then started working on my poster for Caring Week. Everyone on the Council Crew was making them to hang up in the hallway. I drew a pair of sneakers on a piece of yellow construction paper and wrote beneath it in bubble letters: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

  I thought back to the note I read in the meeting. I wondered who wrote it. What if it were Jackson and me who needed new coats? Tough times happen to everybody.

  I remembered a couple years back when Daddy was laid off and looking for a new job. There wasn’t money for extras.

  I would do whatever I could to help raise money for coats, even if I had to dance with everyone watching. I found the Cupid Shuffle song and tried the moves again.

  “What are you doing?” my little brother Jackson asked, standing in the doorway to my room. “You look funny. Want me to show you how?”

  He moved to the right, to the left, kicked, walked and turned in time with the beat. I couldn’t believe it. Not one mess-up. Not one missed step. He did the dance like he knew it his whole life.

  “Where did you learn that?” I asked.

  “In gym class.”

  My heart dropped. Jax could do the dance, but I couldn’t. This just wasn’t my day.

  Chapter Three:

  FAMILY JAM

  At dinner, Jax spilled the beans.

  “Jada can’t do the Cupid Shuffle.”

  “What?” Mom said. “Sure she can. We did it at the reunion, remember? We’ll practice after we eat.”

  Great. Now I was a family project. It didn’t help that my mom loves dancing. She does Zumba, takes African dance classes, can dance the merengue and salsa. After we cleaned up the kitchen, it was time for Momma’s Living Room Rhythm Studio. Ugh.

  She hit the music.

  “Follow me,” she said. She started by breaking down the moves slowly. Baby steps. I could do that, but then we put it all together in real time. It was over.

  I tried, but every time, I was a beat behind, like when you’re trying to swat a fly and you just miss it.

  Mom changed to a new song—one of her old-school classics.

  “Let’s just work on the beat first,” she said.

  She moved her feet back and forth with the music. Then, she added her arms and started bopping her head. I frowned as I tried to follow her lead.

  “You’re getting it,” she said, smiling.

  Were we seeing the same thing?

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said. “Can we do more later? I have some work to do.”

  I headed to my room and flopped onto my bed. I reached for my backpack and pulled out the checklist of kindness ideas. Caring Week didn’t officially start for a few more days, but I was ready to start now.

  One suggestion caught my eye: Invite someone new to sit with you at lunch or play at recess. I could do that. It wasn’t that long ago when my BFF Mari moved away. I knew how it felt to want a friend.

  “Hey, baby girl,” Dad said, walking into my room. “You know I’m not the dancing type either. Want to know my secret?”

  He didn’t wait for my answer. Daddy put on his I-mean-business face, rocked back and forth, and did a move that made me look like a dancing queen.

  “Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Just do you.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. Held in my stomach. Blinked as my eyes crinkled. Finally, my laugh burst like water through a dam and spilled into my room. It felt good to let it out, but dancing at home was one thing. Dancing in front of the whole school was another.

  “Thanks, Daddy,” I said. “I just don’t want everyone staring at me. I’ll figure it out.”

  “I know you will. You always do. But we’re here if you need us.”

  * * *

  At school the next morning, Lena couldn’t wait until I sat down at our table.

  “When do you want to get together to practice?” she said.

  I shrugged.

  “How about Saturday?”

  “I’m not sure. I think we might be busy.”

  “Sunday?”

  “I think we have something going on that day, too.”

  I knew I couldn’t dodge her and Simone forever. What was I going to do?

  Miss Taylor read a picture book to us during English Language Arts called Each Kindness. It was by one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Woodson. In the story, a new girl is treated unfairly by her classmates. I shook my head when they ignored her. The line about how kindness spreads stayed with me all day: “Each little thing we do,” their teacher said, “goes out, like a ripple, into the world.”

  I hoped our coat drive would help everyone in the school who needed one. I wanted our friends to be warm and know we cared.

  Later, I stood near Miles in the lunch line. “I keep thinking about that note I read in student council,” I said.

  “Me too,” he replied. “I’m glad we’re helping.”

  We took our trays to our table and sat next to our friends. I nibbled on my chicken nuggets and wondered if I would be brave enough to leave a note like that. I wondered if the writer was someone I knew.

  * * *

  At recess, I was hoping Lena and Simone would teach me a double Dutch trick I’d been wanting to learn. But when I heard music and saw speakers set up outside, I had a feeling they’d have other plans.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Simone said, grooving to the beat.

  Some of the boys were dancing, too. Miles and Carson were doing the Floss. Gabi did the Sprinkler.

  “Let’s see what you got, Jada,” Simone said.

  I frowned and tried to remember the steps Mom showed me. I moved my feet and nodded my head. My braids hit me in the face. I felt as stiff as a robot. Why couldn’t this be easy?

  “You’re thinking about it too much,” Simone said. “Just relax.”

  I tried, but I just couldn’t move like her and Lena. They looked good without even trying. I wished my feet would do what I wanted, but it was like they had their own brain.

  “You guys have fun,” I said. “I’m taking a break.”

  I sat on the browning grass and listened to the music and the sounds of my friends laughing. They were loving the recess dance party. Was I the only one who wasn’t excited?


  Then I saw a girl from another class sitting down, too. She was wearing a hooded jean jacket with colorful patches and gazing at the sky. She didn’t have anyone next to her. I got up and moved closer.

  “You’re not a dancer either,” I said.

  “You don’t want to see me,” she said, laughing, and pointed at her faded red flats. “Two left feet. You’re Jada, right? I remember when you gave that speech when you were running for student council. Pretty cool. I’m Hallie.”

  “I’ve seen you around. Nice to meet you. Maybe we could work on our not-so-cool moves together.”

  She laughed at that.

  We talked until our teachers called us to line up for our classes. We had so much in common. We both had little brothers, couldn’t dance, liked science.

  “See you later, twin,” she said.

  I smiled and walked to my class.

  “Where did you go?” Lena asked when I got in line.

  “I was talking to a friend,” I said, looking over at Hallie.

  “Don’t worry about the dance challenge,” Simone said. “We’ll help you.”

  I sighed. If only that would be enough.

  Chapter Four:

  THE SCIENCE OF DANCE

  Practicing on my own wasn’t helping. Dancing with family and friends was a fail. I needed a secret weapon. When Mom asked if I wanted to come with her to the Richard B. Harrison Library, an idea zapped me like a shock. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

  Richard B. was one of my favorite places. Had to be something there that could help. As we walked back to Mom’s department—the children’s section—I waved at everyone behind the front desk.