61 pages 2 hours read

Nicola Yoon

Instructions for Dancing

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021

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Chapters 6-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 6 Summary: “Not a Witch”

Growing up, Evie wanted to be a witch. She suspected Grace, who had “magical” powers (like knowing when Evie was under her blanket reading instead of sleeping), would tell her she was magical too—but she never did. Now, Evie thinks she truly does have powers in the form of visions.

Evie tells one of her friends, Martin, about Danica’s break-up and that she knew it was going to happen. Martin, who has a crush on Danica, insults Ben, but Evie reveals she predicted the break-up via a vision. Being open-minded, Martin suggests she test her vision ability by looking at couples in the cafeteria.

Evie scans multiple couples, but doesn’t experience a vision. She states she’s losing her mind, and Martin says his psychiatrist mother would cite the visions as stress-induced hallucinations. Evie explains she’s the only one “stuck” after the divorce, that her mother and Danica won’t talk about it. She tries another scan of the room, and Shelley and Sheldon, voted “Most Likely to Get Married,” share a kiss, which triggers a vision.

Chapter 7 Summary: “Shelley and Sheldon”

Evie witnesses the movie reel of Shelley and Sheldon’s relationship. She sees Sheldon pass Shelley a note during history class that reads “Would you like to go out with me?” with check boxes that all read “Yes” underneath (31); Shelley checks all the boxes.