To Ted Petitt We know you’re in the front row listening to Ella and Frank Lisa John www abdopublishing com Published by Magic Wagon a division of ABDO PO Box 398166 Minneapolis Minnesota 55439 Copyright 2015 by Abdo Consulting Group Inc International copyrights reserved in all countries No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher Calico is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon Printed in the United States of America North Mankato Minnesota 102014 012015 Written by Lisa and John Mullarkey Illustrated by Courtney Bernard Edited by Tamara L Britton and Bridget O’Brien Cover and interior design by Candice Keimig Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mullarkey Lisa author Get Ella to the Apollo by Lisa and John Mullarkey illustrated by Courtney Bernard pages cm The art of time travel Summary Thirteen-year-old Chloe and her younger brother Parker are transported back to 1934 Harlem where they meet Ella Fitzgerald the day before she wins Amateur Night at the Apollo but with Ella making plans to miss the event the kids have to get her to the Apollo and convince her to sing instead of dance ISBN 978-1-62402-087-2 1 Fitzgerald Ella Juvenile fiction 2 Apollo Theater New York N Y 125th Street Juvenile fiction 3 Jazz singers Juvenile fiction 4 Time travel Juvenile fiction 5 Brothers and sisters Juvenile fiction 6 Harlem New York N Y History Juvenile fiction 1 Fitzgerald Ella Fiction 2 Apollo Theater New York N Y 125th Street Fiction 3 Singers Fiction 4 Time travel Fiction 5 Brothers and sisters Fiction 6 Harlem New York N Y History 20th century Fiction 7 New York N Y History 1898-1951 Fiction I Mullarkey John author II Bernard Courtney illustrator III Title PZ7 M91148Ge 2015 813 6 dc23 2014031663
PROLOGUE MEET ELLA FITZGERALD 4 Chapter 1 A FLASH OF LIGHT 7 Chapter 2 BACK IN TIME 21 Chapter 3 EXTRA EXTRA 33 Chapter 4 A THREAT FROM SLATTS 49 Chapter 5 A PLACE TO SLEEP 62 Chapter 6 GULLIVER’S FIVE DIME 75 Chapter 7 MISSING ELLA 86 Chapter 8 ELLA SINGS 96 Chapter 9 THE SIGN IN THE WINDOW 111 Chapter 10 MAKING IT HER OWN 121
Meet Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald is one of the greatest female jazz singers of all time Known as the First Lady of Jazz she won thirteen Grammy Awards and sold over forty million albums during a career that lasted more than half a century Ella was born in Newport News Virginia on April 15 1917 Her parents divorced shortly after she was born She and her mother moved to Yonkers New York After her mother died in 1932 Ella ended up in Harlem homeless during the Great Depression Despite the hard times Ella believed she would find success doing what she loved most dancing and singing She scraped together money to visit venues such as the Savoy Ballroom the Harlem Opera House the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater On November 21 1934 17-year-old Ella performed at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night She showed up with unkempt hair a ratty dress and men’s boots on her feet She also needed a bath 4
Ella had planned to dance But at the last minute she decided to sing instead This decision was the pivotal moment in her life and career Ella won the competition But because of her appearance the accompanying week-long singing gig wasn’t offered to her However Ella impressed Apollo band member Benny Carter He introduced her to important people in the music business She was soon offered a weekly gig with the Tiny Bradshaw Band where she met her mentor Chick Webb Four years later her recording of A-Tisket A-Tasket was a number one hit Ella belonged on the stage and was a natural performer She gained advice from and later worked with famous jazz musicians including Duke Ellington Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong Ella Fitzgerald died on June 15 1996 The rough-and-tumble girl who was once living on the streets of Harlem accomplished her dream and left a lasting impression on everyone who has ever heard her sing 5
