Becoming Billie Holiday (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781590785072)

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award

The stunning voice and hard life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is revealed through evocative, accessible poetry.

In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora's journey to become a legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life--a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, New York Times best-selling and award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles the singer's young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion.

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
ISBN-10: 159078507X
ISBN-13: 9781590785072
Publisher: Wordsong
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2008
Pages: 120
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.07lbs
Size: 9.60h x 6.90w x 0.50d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.8
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 124496 / Becoming Billie Holiday

Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Review - Children 09/01/2008 pg. 961
Booklist 10/01/2008 pg. 53
School Library Journal 10/01/2008 pg. 176
Kirkus Best Young-Adult Books 12/01/2008 pg. 22
Voice of Youth Advocates 12/01/2008 pg. 443 - Recommended - Better Than Most
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2008 pg. 41
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/15/2009 pg. 7
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2009 pg. 190 - Recommended, Satisfactory