For Lilly Belle, ?the capital of Black America? is about as far from her hometown of Smyrna, Tennessee, as a twelve-year-old can get?maybe not in miles but certainly in mindset. Then a summer program for gifted young writers opens a whole new world for Lilly Belle. Jazz music in the street lulls her to sleep, her classroom is in a mansion, and the author Zora Neale Hurston is her teacher, helping her understand the power of words, especially her own. Once again, award-winning author Patricia C. McKissack builds an involving story around real events and famous figures.

McKissack writes with empathy for the characters as well as a good eye for details that bring the period to life. --Booklist