ISBN: 0756941016

Gideon the Genius" and "Dave the Daredevil," their father called them: two Jewish boys growing up in 1920s New York, playing stickball and--in Dave's case--getting into trouble. But when … Plus…

Gideon the Genius" and "Dave the Daredevil," their father called them: two Jewish boys growing up in 1920s New York, playing stickball and--in Dave's case--getting into trouble. But when their father dies, Dave finds himself separated from his older brother and thrust into the cold halls of the HHB, the Hebrew Home for Boys (which he later dubs the "Hopeless House of Beggars" and the "Hell Hole for Brats," among other things). Eager to escape the strict rules, constant bullying, and tasteless gruel of the orphanage, the Daredevil hops the wall one night to explore the streets of Harlem. He hears what he thinks is someone--or something?--laughing, but traces the sound to a late-night trumpeter shuffling backward into a wild "rent party." And just as quickly as he'd found himself stuck in the HHB, Dave is immersed in yet another world--the swinging salons and speakeasies of the Harlem Renaissance. Cramped, crazy parties packed with the likes of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen give Dave refuge from life at the orphanage and awaken his artistic bent. And Dave's new friends, among them a grandfatherly "gonif" ("somebody who fools people out of their money") and a young "colored" heiress who takes a shine to him, help turn things around for him at the HHB. The skilled Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Medal-winning author of Ella Enchanted, clearly tells this tale from her heart, as the story is based on her own father's childhood spent in the real-life HOA (Hebrew Orp 19th century,african-american,arts music and photography,children's,children's books,emotions and feelings,explore the world,family life,friendship social skills and school life,geography and cultures Performing Arts, Perfection Learning<

ISBN: 9780756941017

When orphaned Dave is sent to New York's Hebrew Home for Boys in 1926 where he is treated cruelly, he sneaks out at night and is welcomed into the music and culture-filled world of the Ha… Plus…

When orphaned Dave is sent to New York's Hebrew Home for Boys in 1926 where he is treated cruelly, he sneaks out at night and is welcomed into the music and culture-filled world of the Harlem Renaissance. Media > Book<