Latasha and the Little Red Tornado
by Michael Scotto, Evette Gabriel
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Pub Date Nov 15 2011 | Archive Date Sep 01 2012
Bookmasters | Midlandia Press
Description
Latasha and the Little Red Tornado tells the story of Latasha Gandy, a precocious and inventive third-grader who lives in Pittsburgh with her hardworking mother and a naughty puppy named Ella Fitzgerald. At eight years old, Latasha cannot wait to grow up. Ella, on the other hand, absolutely refuses to! When Ella's antics push the Gandy's landlady, Mrs. Okocho, to her wits' end, Latasha realizes that she must turn her mischievous mutt into a model dog. Latasha enlists the help of a classmate and neighbor, Ricky, in her efforts to train Ella. Their friendship grows as Ricky joins the girls on their adventures in the park. But after Latasha and Ricky have a falling out, Latasha decides to take Ella out on her own, a choice that proves to have grave consequences. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this tale of friendship and maturity follows Latasha as she struggles with Ella, school, and her mother's absence from home.
Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Scotto has worked as a filmmaker, a saxophone player, and an engineer's assistant, but his true passion has always been writing. He earned a degree in creative writing from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, and his M.F.A in dramatic writing there in 2007. Today, he is the author of over twenty picture books for young readers. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and photography. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their very naughty dog. Latasha and the Little Red Tornado is his first novel.
Twenty-eight-year-old Michael Scotto has worked as a filmmaker, a saxophone player, and an engineer's assistant, but his true passion has always been writing. He earned a degree in creative writing from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, and his M.F.A in dramatic writing there in 2007. Today, he is the author of over twenty picture books for young readers. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and photography. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and their very naughty dog. Latasha and the Little Red Tornado is his first novel.
Advance Praise
Latasha and the Little Red Tornado is an engaging novel for young adults following eight-year-old Latasha Gandy and her mischievous puppy Ella Fitzgerald. Ella's puppy antics are almost completely out of control; Latasha must work hard to train Ella to be an obedient dog, even as she deals with the daily pressures of school and the repercussions of her mother's difficult new job. A handful of black-and-white illustrations enhance this heartwarming story about an African-American girl and her canine friend learning what it means to grow up and be responsible, together.
Midwest Book Review
August 2011Nancy Atwell said it best, "The job of adults who care about KIDS is to move heaven and earth to put that book into a child's hands." Up until last week I had no clue who Michael Scotto was, but after reading his book "Latasha and the LIttle Red Tornado" I can say that his book deserves to be in the hands of young readers.
Their is no doubt in my mind that Latasha has a chance to become a huge hit in my classroom. The protagonist in this story is an black third grade girl living in Pittsburgh. Students will immediately fall in love with Latasha in the first few pages as they are introduced to her spunk. Latasha is a character full of live, thoughts, hopes and dreams. She jumps off the page and into your heart. I think that this book deals with so many issues that make it relatable to young readers. Here are a few: 1. Single parent home 2. Wanting to feel grown up 3. Having to have to spend a lot of time at a babysitters 4. Making friends 5. Being honest 6. Problems juggling responsibilities Many more, you get the point. Oh yeah, this book will throw you for a loop that you never see coming! We all love that right? In my opinion we do not have enough middle grade books where the main character is a black female, and in many of the books that do have a black female main character, the book often focuses on racism and civil rights. I know that racism is still a huge issue in the world that we live in, but at the same time young black females need to know that their is more to them then just the color of their skin. I hope that this doesn't sound wrong coming from a "white dude", but I know that readers at times want to read books with characters that look like them, and deal with things they deal with, and I do not feel like the young female black population has enough characters like Latasha. (If I was off base at all in the previous paragraph please leave a comment. I would love to become more educated in this area.) If you are looking for a great read with a strong theme and unforgettable characters please give author Michael Scotto's book a chance. You will not regret it. That is a promise.-sharpread
Colby Sharp August 16, 2011Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780983724308 |
| PRICE | 10.99 |
| PAGES | 133 |
