First published 1993
Zeke spends his days at the window of his fifth-floor Harlem apartment. The nine-year-old boy has a lame leg, so he watches the world from above instead of joining it below. His father works multiple jobs. His mother climbs those five flights of stairs every single day. Life feels heavy and gray until everything changes. A musician moves into the bright yellow room across the courtyard. The Jazz Man fills the air with incredible blues and melodies that transform Zeke's entire world. The music gives meaning to his days and color to his surroundings. Zeke stops thinking about his family's struggles when those dreamy notes float through his window. But Zeke's newfound joy depends entirely on his neighbor. The music has become his lifeline, his escape, his reason to look forward to each day. What will happen to this boy who has found his dream in someone else's song if the Jazz Man decides to leave?
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, african-american, coming-of-age, music
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: escape, found-family
Setting: Harlem
Period: 20th-century
42 pages · Paperback · Aladdin