Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant

by Kate Klise (Author) M Sarah Klise (Illustrator)

Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Ella Kate Ewing was born in 1872. She started out small, but she just kept on growing. Soon she was too tall for her desk at school, too tall for her bed at home, too tall to fit anywhere. Ella Kate was a real-life giant, but she refused to hide herself away. Instead, she used her unusual height to achieve her equally large dreams.

The masterful Klise sisters deliver a touching and inspiring true story about a strong-minded girl who finally embraced her differences. It's the perfect book for every child who has ever felt like an outsider.

Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

Publishers Weekly

The Klise sisters (the Little Rabbit books) tell the story of Ella Kate Ewing, who turned what could have been a miserable existence into a life of dignity. Gigantism, not understood in the 19th century, made Ella a child who needed a specially made desk and wore size 12 shoes. The advice her parents gave her forms the title of the book, but Ella, 8'4" by age 22, suffered, and Kate Klise portrays her plight with sensitivity: I was too big for the world. As a museum exhibit in Chicago, the discomfort of public display is offset by the phenomenal pay; at 18, she makes more in five months than her fathers farm makes in five years. Wealth brings independence, a house, and a thirst for new experiences: [T]he more I saw of the world, the more I wanted to see. Because as big as I was, the world was so much bigger. And I intended to see it all. M. Sarah Klises acrylic paintings give a sense of the historical setting without drawing attention to themselves; modest colors and conventional forms echo Ellas humility. A quiet story with unexpected impact. Ages 6-8. "(May)" Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.
Kate Klise

Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise have collaborated on numerous award-winning middle-grade and picture-book projects, including the Regarding the Fountain and 43 Old Cemetery Road series. Kate lives in Norwood, Missouri. She visits more than seventy school classrooms a year. Sarah Klise lives in Berkeley, California. Visit www.kateandsarahklise.com for more information. (By the way, Klise rhymes with mice.)


Illustrator M. Sarah Klise and author Kate Klise and are sisters and collaborators. They started making books together many years ago in their bedroom in Peoria, Illinois. Kate wrote the words; Sarah drew the pictures. Their first book was about an adventure-loving little mouse that traveled around the country. That story was never published. (In fact, it ended up in the garbage can!) But the Klise sisters had so much fun making their first book, they kept writing and drawing. And now they've published more than twenty award-winning books for young readers, including Regarding the Fountain and Dying to Meet You. The Klise sisters no longer share a bedroom. Kate lives in Missouri and travels often to visit schools and libraries. Sarah lives in California. But the two sisters still enjoy working together, especially on their new series about a pair of circus mice. (By the way, "Klise" rhymes with "mice.")

Classification
-
ISBN-13
9780803734043
Lexile Measure
640
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Dial Books
Publication date
April 20, 2010
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV016140 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | United States - 19th Century
JUV004020 - Juvenile Fiction | Biographical | United States
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
Library of Congress categories
People with disabilities
Giants
Ewing, Ella Kate
Red Clover Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012
Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2013
South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2013
Alabama Camellia Award
Finalist 2012 - 2013
Black-Eyed Susan Award
Nominee 2013 - 2014

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