Latasha and the Little Red Tornado
Latasha and the Little Red Tornado tells the story of Latasha Gandy, a precocious and inventive third-grader who lives in Pittsburgh with her hardworking mother and a naughty puppy named Ella Fitzgerald.
At eight years old, Latasha cannot wait to grow up. Ella, on the other hand, absolutely refuses to! When Ella's antics push the Gandy's landlady, Mrs. Okocho, to her wits' end, Latasha realizes that she must turn her mischievous mutt into a model dog. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this tale of friendship and maturity follows Latasha as she struggles with Ella, school, and her mother's absence from home.
The Story Behind This Book
When I sat down to write my first children's novel, I knew I wanted to write about three things: 1) a spunky elementary-aged girl 2) who lived in Pittsburgh with 3) a mischievous puppy. I was inspired to feature these elements by Ramona Quimby, who was and remains one of my favorite kid-lit characters; by the fact that Pittsburgh is my hometown and a city I love; and, of course, by the fact that I happen to own a very, very naughty dog myself. (She actually stars in the book trailer for Latasha and the Little Red Tornado.) Armed with these three elements, I began to write. From there, the story blossomed into what it is: a warm story about maturity, the desire for respect, and the conflict between what you want and what you really need. I've seen a lot of kids connect with this story as if I'd written it "just for them." I hope you, reader, will feel the same way.
