Book Guide

As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals.

Then a revolution in Venezuela drove her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worse of all, there was fighting in her new home too—a Civil War.

Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa's music bring comfort to those who needed it most? 

From the dust jacket

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Margarita Engle

Margarita Engle

1951 -
Cuban American
 Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries.  Her books include th... See more
Rafael Lopez

Rafael Lopez

1961-
Mexican
Rafael Lopez won Pura Belpre Illustrator Awards for Drum Dream Girl and Book Fiesta, two Americas Book Awards, the Society of Illustrators... See more

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Content Guide

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Reviews

The Good and the Beautiful Book List

Dancing Hands
Reviewed by Jenny Phillips
Dancing Hands tells the story of Teresa Carreño, a brilliant pianist who became so famous that President Abraham Lincoln invited her to the White House...

Read the full review on The Good and the Beautiful Book List