Who Was Maya Angelou?

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black--and first female--streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and toured the U.S. and Europe as an opera star and calypso dancer. But Angelou's writing became her defining talent. Her poems and books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international acclaim.

Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Published: 01/12/2016
Pages: 112
Weight: 0.25lbs
Size: 7.50h x 5.20w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9780448488530
Age: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.8
Point Value: 1
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 180228 / Who Was Maya Angelou?

About the Author
Ellen Labrecque is a former Senior Editor for Sports Illustrated for Kids and the author of over twenty nonfiction books for young readers, including biographies of Jim Thorpe and Magic Johnson.