Lotta Crabtree: Gold Rush Fairy Star

Gr 4–6—Lotta Crabtree (1847–1924) was just eight years old when she first danced across the stage and into the hearts of her audience. As her performance ended, they erupted into cheers, and Crabtree's future was sealed. For the next 36 years, Crabtree would perform as a dancer, singer, actress, and musician on stages across the United States and even England. Hailed as America's first female comedian, Crabtree adored making people laugh. Throughout her life, from her poor yet exciting childhood to her fame as an international star, Crabtree loved nothing more than bringing joy to others. Readers will enjoy following Crabtree's adventures through the well-organized and very readable chapters while learning a great deal of history and geography along the way. Frequent, fact-laden sidebars explain and expound on events and places mentioned throughout, and illustrations break up the text. The author remains objective while discussing some of the more questionable events of Crabtree's life, such as her alcoholic father and the use of blackface in performances. Most of the dialogue is taken from direct quotes, and source notes are provided along with the bibliography.