(3) 4-6 In the summer of 1775, Washington arrives in Massachusetts to lead rebel forces against British troops occupying Boston. Orgill's free-verse poems span a year and feature the perspectives of ten historical figures (including Washington's "servant-slave") and one fictional boy. The extensively researched novel highlights a pivotal time in U.S. history and illuminates small moments in individual lives. Map. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Francis Vallejo. On August 12, 1958, fifty-plus jazz musicians gathered in Harlem for a group photo shoot. This iconic photo is the springboard for a series of twenty-one poems and a set of personality-rich illustrations. The words take you back to the photo--reproduced here as a gatefold spread--and the excellent list of sources leads you back to the music. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) K-3 Candlewick Biographies series. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. In jazzy prose, Orgill tells of young Ella's sad childhood and up-from-her-bootstraps rise to fame. Interspersed in the main text are lyrics from songs Fitzgerald made her own (e.g., "A Tisket, A Tasket"), giving the volume an improvised feel. Qualls's acrylic, pencil, and collage illustrations hum with the energy of a night out in Harlem. This "reformatted edition" includes a list of recommended recordings. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Candlewick Biographies series. Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. Before Fred was famous, his sister Adele was "the dancer in the family." Orgill describes the team's childhood and early work in vaudeville and on Broadway, also touching on Fred's later achievements in films. Their dancing comes alive in focused prose and softly colored mixed-media art with period details. Recommended recordings, films, and a website are included in this "reformatted edition." Reading list. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch. Before Fred was famous, his sister Adele was "the dancer in the family." Orgill describes the team's childhood and early work in vaudeville and on Broadway, also touching on Fred's later achievements in films. Their dancing comes alive in focused prose and softly colored mixed-media art with period details. Recommended recordings, films, and a website are included. Reading list.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) PS Illustrated by Steven Salerno. "Naptime--no!" This peppy, if slight, portrayal of a baby (and her mom and sister) on the go uses fragmented text ("To the bus! Doors hiss, open close, jingle-jangle coins") and cartoons against electric-colored backgrounds to roll out a vibrant cityscape. With all the hustle and bustle, it's no wonder the tot isn't ready to nap until the family collapses onto a bench at the end.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) YA Written in the voice of an omniscient narrator and focusing on Jackson's life in New Orleans and Chicago, Orgill's lively account incorporates a small amount of fictionalized dialogue and succeeds in informing young readers about a twentieth-century giant of American music. Black-and-white photos--some sharp, others dark--supplement this biography. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) YA This book profiles one singer for each decade of the 1900s, beginning with vaudevillian Sophie Tucker and ending with country artist Lucinda Williams. The intimate, well-researched coverage, which highlights each subject's cultural as well as artistic significance, features black-and-white photos, a discography, and sidebars that discuss musical styles, current trends, and each singer's fashions. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram