Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Vera B. Williams began her career in children’s books by illustrating Hooray for Me!, written by Remy Charlip with Lilian Moore. Her beloved A Chair for My Mother won multiple awards, including a Caldecott Honor, and “More More More,” Said the Baby also received a Caldecott Honor. Vera B. Williams was the recipient of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award; she was awarded the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature; and she was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004. Vera B. Williams died on October 16, 2015, shortly before her final book, Home at Last, was completed.

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Elana is thrilled to be living all the way up on the eighth floor of 514 Melon Hill Avenue, an apartment building in New York City. But with her new life come changes--and challenges. Is her shiny scooter up to the crags and potholes of city sidewalks? Will she be able to make new friends? Can she find a way to help out little Petey, who everyone says doesn't talk? And will the kids from Melon Hill win any blue ribbons at the Borough-Wide Field Day?

As Elana coasts toward discoveries and surprises in her new home, she keeps one thing in mind: Anything can happen as long as you have a winning attitude and a cool set of wheels!

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Scooter

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Chapter One

Now I Love living here. I like the address. You take the one from the five so you get the four ... 514 Melon Hill Avenue, Apartment 8E. E is my first initial. The highest up I ever lived before was on the third floor when we stayed with my cousins.

514 Melon Hill Avenue is a great big building. And it's together with four other big buildings. They call them the Melon Hill Houses. They are at the top of Melon Hill. And they have water towers and a brick wall around the roofs that makes them look like castles.

I was a real Melon Hill House kid from day one! But my mom says not so, and that I stood at our window for days just staring out. Well, of course, I was amazed. From that window I could see buildings spread out right to the edge of the river and then bridges and more buildings across the river. When the lights went on for nighttime I couldn't believe there could be so many lights in so many houses on so many streets and us not know anyone in any of those houses. I could see the big school where I'm going to go after the summer. I didn't know a single person in that school. And all our clothes and stuff were in boxes.

My scooter was the very last thing we packed onto the trailer when we moved out from over the garage at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After we drove a thousand miles my scooter was the first thing I brought up in the elevator with my mom to our new apartment here on the eighth floor of 514 Melon Hill Avenue.

Our one-room apartment was empty. It smelled of new paint. I put my scooter right by the window. Whenever I wasn't helping get our stuff unpacked and put away I stood on my scooter and looked out the window.

Almost every single hour, my mom would ask me why I didn't go out and play.

My mom: "When are you going to stop moping and go out and play?"

Me:"Who am I going to play with?"My mom: "I see lots of kids down there. All colors and sizes. They look great to me."

Me: "But I don't know any of those kids. . ."

My mom:"Well, you never will if you don't go out. Kids won't come to our door just seeking out the famous and beautiful Elana Rose Rosen."

Me: "I didn't say they would."

My mom: "Elana, please! Did I say you said it? And don't start to cry! I have too much to do to get involved in scenes with you. I have to get us settled. Find a job. Get ready for my courses."

Me:"Just leave me here alone then."

My mom:"But it breaks my heart to see you standing onthat scooter, moping."

Me:"I'm not moping."

Finally my mom came right up behind me and put her hands on the handlebars and pushed me and the scooter out our front door and down the hall and into the elevator and out the elevator and through the lobby. Then she gave me a big push that sent me out the front doors where the intercom is and into the courtyard.

"There's no kids out here," I called to her.

"You've got your scooter," she answered. She was already going through the door.

"Come down in a little while," I yelled after her.

"See you at supper time," she said, waving.

Excerpted from Scooterby Williams, Vera B. Excerpted by permission.
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