Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Celenza, Anna Harwell. Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Charlesbridge: 2006. ISBN: 9781570915567. Ages 12 and up.

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is about when Gershwin finds out that he has to write a jazz concerto in a newspaper for his friend Paul. Paul doesn't have any ideas on what the concerto should be about until he discovers all the sounds around him and uses them in his concerto. The crowd loves the concerto when it is played. Anna Harwell Celenza uses exclamation marks and capital letters to express what the characters are saying. She uses strong adjectives so you can imagine it without the pictures. The illustrations are done in watercolor and ink. JoAnn E. Kitchel really focused on the illustrations and details in them. She made the characters and surroundings look real. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves music or is interested in music.

Reviewed by B. H., 6th grader, Van Buren Middle School