In New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers's last novel, he delivers a gripping story based on the life of a real dancer known as Master Juba, who lived in the nineteenth century.
This engaging historical novel is based on the true story of the meteoric rise of an immensely talented young black dancer, William Henry Lane, who influenced today's tap, jazz, and step dancing. With meticulous and intensive research, Walter Dean Myers has brought to life Juba's story.
Includes an afterword from Walter Dean Myers's wife about the writing process of Juba!
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“Myers draws readers into nineteenth-century New York with his wonderful characters, many based on real people, including Juba himself. Juba is engaging, passionate, and persistent, sympathetic even when arrogance and stubbornness show. The supporting cast is from all walks of life…The complicated world Juba inhabits as an African American in the free North is naturally woven in with Juba’s journey to fame…Actual newspaper articles and illustrations are interesting but sometimes make the book feel academic. Despite this, readers who follow through will root for Juba.”
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VOYA