Description

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“Crackles with tension and verve. . . . An unforgettable portrait of an artist whose faith in herself carried her when little else did.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With lively prose, Roxane Orgill follows the gutsy Ella Fitzgerald from her schoolgirl days, orphaned and hungry, dancing and singing for loose change, to amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, all the way to her number-one radio hit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” Jazzy mixed-media art by illustrator Sean Qualls brings the singer’s indomitable spirit to life.
Back matter includes resources for further information, and an index.

About the Author

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Roxane Orgill is an award-winning writer on music and the author of several biographies for young readers, including Mahalia: A Life in Gospel Music and Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire. She is also the author of Dream Lucky, a book for adults about big-band jazz, race, and politics in the 1930s. She lives in New York City.

Sean Qualls is the illustrator of many books for children, including Dizzy; Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane; The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Monzano; and Phillis's Big Test. He lives in Brooklyn.