I am Lucille Ball

Ordinary People Change the World

by Brad Meltzer, Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrations)

In this sixth entry in the  New York Time  Bestselling biography series, humor is the heroic trait, and modern icon Lucille Ball is celebrated. (Cover may vary)

Lucille Ball could make any situation funny. By making people around the world laugh, she proved that humor can take on anything. She never changed how she behaved to seem "proper," even when other people pressured her to. By remaining true to who she was, she made her mark in comedy and television—even becoming the first female CEO of a major Hollywood studio! 

This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big. Included in each book

   • A timeline of key events in the hero’s history
   • Photos that bring the story more fully to life
   • Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable
   • Childhood moments that influenced the hero
   • Facts that make great conversation-starters
   • A virtue this person Lucille Ball's humor and how it carried her to success is highlighted here.

You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, History, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Brad Meltzer is the Emmy-nominated, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and eleven other bestselling thrillers. He also writes non-fiction books like The JFK Conspiracy, about a secret plot to kill JFK before he was sworn in – and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series, which he does with Chris Eliopoulos and inspired the PBS KIDS TV show, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. His newest kids books are We are the Beatles, We are the Beatles, and I am Simone Biles. His newest inspirational book is Make Magic, based on his viral commencement address.

In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The Nazi Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.

He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel, and is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Meltzer unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display. See the video here. The Hollywood Reporter recently put him on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.

He also recently delivered the commencement address at the University of Michigan, in front of 70,000 people, including his graduating son. Entitled Make Magic and called “one of the best commencement addresses of all time,” it’s been shared millions of times across social media. Do yourself a favor, watch it here and buy the book here.

For sure, it’s tough to find anyone being so successful in so many different mediums of the popular culture. But why does Brad thrive in all these different professions? His belief that ordinary people change the world. It is that core belief that runs through every one of his projects.

His newest thriller, The Lightning Rod, brings back characters Nola and Zig in a setting that will blow your mind (you won't believe where the government let Brad go). For now, we'll say this: What's the one secret no one knows about you? It's about to come out. Nearly 2,000 five-star reviews. Raves by everyone from the Wall Street Journal, to James Patterson, to Brad's mother-in-law. Plus that twist at the end! And yes, the new Zig & Nola thriller is coming soon!

His newest non-fiction book, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy -- and Why It Failed, which he wrote with Josh Mensch, is a true story about a secret assassination plot to kill JFK at the start of his Presidency and, if successful, would’ve changed history.

His illustrated children’s books I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln, which he does with artist Chris Eliopoulos, were written for his own children, to give them better heroes to look up to. Try them. You won’t believe how inspired you and your family will be. Some of our favorites in the series are I am Mister Rogers and I am Dolly Parton.

His other non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, are collections of heroes – from Jim Henson to Sally Ride — that he’s been working on since the day his kids were born and is on sale now, as well as History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.

He’s also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby.

Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all thirteen of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President’s daughter, then The Millionaires, which was about two brothers who

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are pretty much all the same by Brad Meltzer, but I love knowing, going in, this is going to be a well done book and I am going to learn something about this famous person.

I wasn’t the slap-stick kind of kid, so I sort of thought ‘I love Lucy’ was funny, but mostly, I didn’t. Still, I did like loud Lucy anyway. She was special and I liked that as a woman, the TV show was named after her. It didn’t happen often back then.

I learned much about her and she did amazing things. I never thought about her having to struggle to make it in Hollywood. Once someone is established its easy to forget there was a time everyone couldn’t see her genius, but people thought she was too different and not a proper girl. She struggled so. It’s nice to see what they went through. Lucy is a great role model for kids and I’m glad to know more about her. I would like to learn more.

I let the niece read this on her own. She likes these books for the facts they give. She gave this 4 stars. The nephew and I read it together and he thought Lucille was funny. He liked her getting hit with a pie. He recently saw the 3 stooges and he loves them. He is a slap-stick kind of guy, so he loved Lucy’s antics. He gave this 5 stars.

These are great books to read a person’s biography to get a snapshot of who they are. You can read a lot of them as they are so short, but it gives the highlights of their journey. I enjoy reading these and I will totally read more.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little bio of Lucille Ball in a series of bios by Brad Meltzer. Waiting to get a few more from the library and looking forward.

All in all "I am Lucile Ball" is sweet, funny, interesting. We see Lucille Ball horse around, give rousing speeches to chickens, refuse to compromise in order to gain stardom as a 'regular' performer when what she wants is to do comic theater to 'be herself'. She strives and fails and tries again.



I didn't know if my six-year-old neighbor would like the book, I thought it might be too heavy or detailed somehow, but as it turns out, it's all she wants to read (over and over and over again. And it has tough competition from "Beware Of The Storybook Wolves", which I also got out of the library last week.)

I think as a trans kid and as a kid whose favorite word of the moment is "unusual" Lena also loves hearing Lucille Ball as narrator say "there's no such thing as a proper girl or boy." One of my favorite lines, too, though there is much to love here.

The end got a bit too 'preachy' for me. "Always be yourself" and "you have to love yourself"and all that kind of stuff. The messages are nice, I just thought it was a bit over-done. But Lena seems to find some comfort in it, so, why should I complain?

I recommend this book to just about anyone. I think any kids who like theater, silliness, stories of someone overcoming obstacles would enjoy it. (There is even a scene in the book where Ball gets a pie in the face from the Three Stooges! Wonderful stuff.)

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucille Ball is an American icon that deserves more attention than she currently receives. This children's biography is a great way to introduce your children to her. I particularly liked the illustrated recreation of the chocolate factory scene. What a classic! Now that I've read this, I need to watch some I Love Lucy episodes. You'll have the the same feeling after reading this.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

ziggy jumped right on my lap when i pulled this book out so i think he liked it from the start

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today, would have been Lucille Ball's 104 birthday. I thought, this would be a great read to honor her on her birthday. Brad Meltzer has written another great book for his Ordinary People Change the World children's series. Lucille Ball, was a fantastic and hilarious woman. This would be great book, to start a young fan of Lucille's to read about her life.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am Lucille Ball" is an amazing biography about a strong, comedic woman who shows others to never give up on their dreams even if it seems too silly. Lucille Ball shows all women that they can accomplish whatever their heart desires, even if it is not what a "proper" girl should do. This book is wonderful for all ages to read, but I would introduce it to a 3rd or 4th grade class to read aloud to.
I would use this book for a lesson in many different ways. First, I could use it during Women's History Month. This book could be one of the highlights of the month; demonstrating the accomplishments that women have achieved in the history of television. Secondly, I could use it as a way to demonstrate how we can break stereotypes between men and women. There are many references in this book about how Lucille is not acting like a "proper lady". I could use this as a way to talk about how we do not have to be stuck in this certain stereotype.
This book is a WOW for me because I used to watch the show "I Love Lucy" growing up. Every morning before school, I would watch an episode of this show. I always loved how headstrong Lucy was when in the show, but never enjoyed how controlling her husband was in the show. This book made me realize how incredible and strong this actress actually is, and how she accomplished much more than I ever knew. I wish that her story could be told in more history books because her accomplishments in life amazed me after reading this book, and made me want to go and watch an episode of "I Love Lucy".

[Anna Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography - This book definitely WOWed me. I had briefly heard of Lucille Ball because of I love Lucy but I didn't realize everything she'd been through to get to the point of I Love Lucy or anything after that. This book not only told about Lucy growing up and the struggles she faced, but how she learned to love herself, the way America loved her. Great biography. She turns her life into a very valuable lesson: be true to who you are, you're the person who can pick yourself up when you're down. This book also teaches a valuable lesson of being yourself. Growing up people kept telling her she wasn't a "proper girl" but she embraced that instead of changing, and look at the amazing things she's done by not being a "proper girl". Great book!!! I would use this book with probably 4th or 5th graders. I think this book would be a great book for a writing workshop. Students could write about the similarities between their life and Lucille Ball's life. You could also use KWL charts with autobiographies like this book. The student could think about the person and fill out the KW part of the chart before they read the book. Then after the students read the book they could fill out the L part of the chart to clarify what the student learned about the character. For even better emphasis of the subject, the teacher could make sure that students pick a person whom they have heard of but don't know a whole lot of information about. Cute little book that I would definitely use in my classroom.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

With fun illustrations that are a bit graphic-novel-like with speech bubbles, this book is part of the Ordinary People Change the World series.
How does Lucille Ball fit this category - as a person who changed the world? She was the first female CEO of a major Hollywood studio! Comedy and entertaining were her passions. Some people in her life were encouraging (school principal Bernard Drake) and some were not (Grandmother Peterson). Hard work and her sense of humor kept her going through tough times in New York. At least a few of the individual skits of the I Love Lucy show seem to be based on Ball's own life. As author Meltzer says for Ms. Ball, "Be true to who you are."
Timeline
Quote from Lucille Ball
Photos of Lucille Ball

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Like it wasn’t a huge background on Lucy. I didn’t love the art style. But I did like the message that you should love yourself no matter what.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told in the first person, this telling of Lucy's childhood, perseverance, and positivity is inspiring! It includes actual historical facts - giving young kids access to information that is rarely rendered at their level. I really applaud this biography for young 'uns. Top notch!

It looks like this is the beginning of a series, all with the same author and illustrator. Bravo!

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In this world, the person you need to love the most is you."

This illustrious story of the life of the great Lucille Ball will get kids interested in past Hollywood stars. It will capture their attention and will have them asking for more.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good bio for kids. I like the choice of Lucille Ball. Her story is not generally known to kids and this book exposes her to another generation.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does making people laugh make one a hero?  I don't think so, unless one was a comic in a World War II concentration camp or gulag who kept the prisoners in stitches, that is.  But Lucille Ball did not face that kind of difficulty.  To be sure, she was a very funny lady and she deserves to be remembered well, and for episodes of "I Love Lucy" to be shown as they are on repeats more than 50 years after the show was on television.  But while that is a demonstration of her talent, it is not heroic.  She was persistent in seeking fame, and faced difficulties because it was considered shocking that she would have an interracial (?) marriage with a Cuban on the television.  But if someone else can view Desi Arnez as a hero for having loved Lucy, even after their divorce, Lucy could be viewed as a hero for loving him, only the book does not portray it that way, looking at her as a hero because the production company she owned with Desi ended up producing some important shows like Mission:  Impossible and Star Trek.  This is talent, to be sure, but it is not exactly heroism.

This book gives a chronological look at the life and career of Lucille Ball, beginning with her difficult childhood where she talked with chickens and coped with a grandmother who believed that enjoying oneself was a sin (does the author mention this because he has a misguided view of religion?).  The author looks at the rejection that Lucille Ball faced until her bright personality and her willingness to draw attention to herself gave her a role in film, vaudeville, and television that played to her expressiveness and comic talent.  There is even a funny in-joke that compares Lucille Ball negatively to Bette Davis that is likely to be familiar to adults, but perhaps not to the children reading this book.  The book shows some of the funnier scenes from the I Love Lucy show as well as the difficulties they had filming it in front of a live audience, which was a good decision, but the book ends after the show does focusing on Lucy as a television producer and does not really include anything else of the later life she had after the television show ended, showcasing the author's unwillingness to deal with old age and death.

The essential question this book provides is one that appears lamentably common in the author's body of work devoted to children:  does celebrity status make one heroic?  Any star can be an activist and can use fame to promote something.  Any star can, and often does, want to prove a point that is beyond the comfort level of the audience or the executives.  None of this makes someone a hero.  Lucille Ball was talented as an actress, as a comedienne, and as a talent scout recognizing shows worth producing.  These are talents worth recognizing, worth respecting, and worth emulating, but they do not make someone a hero.  Did they even change the world?  It depends on what you mean--it certainly changed the world of entertainment.  Perhaps that is enough.  It certainly is enough for the author, who considers any talented athlete, musician, actor/actress, or even showrunner to be notable enough to consider as a hero or heroine.  And that seems to cheapen heroism considerably.  How large of an impact does it take to change the world?  If it is small enough that entertainers can regularly do it, then children should not fear being able to change the world themselves.

[Christy MacLaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

• A synthesis (not summary) of your book WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS that includes the genre of the book and the grade-level(s) in which you would use this book

“I am Lucille Ball” was about how Lucille Ball overcame hardships to follow her dreams. She was constantly told when she was younger she didn’t act like a proper girl but that did not stop her from being herself. She followed her passion with determination which lead her to success. This biography would be ideal for 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students since it has such a powerful theme.

• 2-3 specific ideas for how you would use the book in your classroom or how other educators could use this book instructionally (these need to be YOUR IDEAS, not ideas that you found from another source),

Since this book is a biography on a powerful female figure of her time, I think this book would be perfect to pair with a social studies lesson. For example, I could use this book to launch a social studies unit on the importance of hard work and determination. Students could explore different people in different time periods in the 1900s to see how their hard work and dedication allowed them to achieve greatness. I could also use this as a read aloud to launch a social studies unit about women’s rights throughout history. I could also use this book to discuss what makes a hero? Is a hero someone perfect or someone who works hard in the face of obstacles? Students could use examples from this text to make meaning of this discussion.

• An explanation (implicit or explicit) of WHY this book was a WOW book for you, and

This book was a wow book for me because I never knew Lucille Ball faced so much disapproval for what made her famous. This book really helped show that you shouldn’t let people’s opinions stand in your way and you always need to persevere.

[Jenny Larges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary “I am Lucille Ball”: A wonderful story about the first lady of comedy: Lucille Ball. She grew up in an era that didn’t consider female comics so she was a trendsetter. With her husband, Desi Arnaz (a Cuban musician—a partnership also disparaged by CBS as something that American people wouldn’t watch), they hosted the “I Love Lucy” show—named such because she believes “Love yourself first and everything falls into line.”

Reading level: LG, BL 3.4 AR quiz #176497

Characteristics that Support the Genre: Photos and timeline included to show the progression of her career.

Mentor Writing Traits:
Idea: A heartwarming story of Lucille Ball which inspires young people to persevere, follow your dreams and “Be true to who YOU are”.
Organization: Set up in a timeline from her childhood to being posthumously honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Voice: The reader hears the silliness and creativity of Lucy.
Conventions: The text offers a variety of text options based on whether it’s within a ‘comic strip’ part of the story or part of the timeline.
Presentation: Parts of the book are arranged like a comic strip or film roll with colorful photos so it’s fun and easy to read.

Classroom Integration: I would use this book with kids who are artistic, creative, expressive, “different”. In other words, EVERY kid!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is about the fantastic Lucille Ball and how she never gave up on making America smile. It starts out with Lucille as a young girl then moves through time to show how her seemingly ordinary life ended up changing American television. This book shows the readers the importance of always persevering, even when life gets hard, and as author Brad Meltzer reminds us, to always “be true to whoever you are.” This book could be used for all levels but especially 3-5 because a lot happens in her life as we move through time and the interest and subject levels reflect upper years particularly. I would use this book for a lesson in biographies and in teaching new and interesting ways of telling someone’s life story. This book could also be used to teach a lesson in character traits like perseverance or staying true to who you are. The latter is a lesson that is extremely important to me as I think staying true to who you are is one of the most important lessons any child can receive. This book has the ability to change the way children see themselves, which makes it a WOW book for me. The fact that Ball was always put down, never gave up, reached the bottom of the barrel and continued to work until she ran her own production company is a lesson I think every child should see in their lives. Lucille Ball is one in a million and unapologetically fantastic.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the fact that most of Mr. Meltzer's "Ordinary People Change the World" books are about people who actually did something to change the world like Martin Luther King Jr, etc, I was surprised that he had written this book about Lucille Ball. I don't mean to criticize Lucille Ball in any way, but this book just seemed so out of place among the others in the series. That being said, I'm not a fan of Lucille Ball at all, but "I Am Lucille Ball" is a really interesting book; maybe even better than some biographies that are written for adults. I'm almost 50 and I was amazed at how much I learned from reading this little book. I didn't know that much about Ms. Ball before and a lot of her life is explained in this story in really simple terms. The drawings are really cute and I love that they make her look like a child even when they are describing her adulthood. Even if you aren't a fan of Lucille Ball, check this book out. You'll learn a lot more than you anticipated. It's a short read with a good message for both kids and adults.

[Eric Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am Lucille Ball is another installment in the “I am” series about ordinary people who change the world. Lucille Ball seems a strange choice to add to the mix, but Meltzer folds her story into the series fairly well, focusing on how she was considered an improper girl and how her improprieties made her who we came to love. I learned several things about her I didn’t know.

I don’t agree with the conclusion she came to about life, a conclusion adopted wholly by Meltzer. While Lucille Ball did have to work very hard and learned to rely solely on herself, such stringent self-reliance is neither healthy nor ultimately advantageous. Children should be helped to understand this conclusion was Ball’s and need not be (should not be) adopted by others.

[Bailey Zyvith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Lucy, no pun intended! When I found out that the Ordinary People change the world series had a biography about Lucille Ball I was more than excited. This book follows the life of actress and comedian Lucille Ball from her small start acting in plays at school to having her own television series. I think that this book would be good to read aloud to grades 3-5 and great for students to read on their own in fifth grade. I would use this book and many others in this series to read to students and have them read on their own to learn more about different people. This would be a great resource for a project about a specific person maybe even having the students do a living museum with the person they choose to read and research about. This book was an e-text that I read on my kindle.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that one of Lucille Ball's big breaks came with the Three Stooges.

Kid-friendly biography of one of the greats of comedy, who just happened to be female. I love to see how she was determined to be herself, no matter what others around her wanted.

Timeline at the end only shows the order events occurred -- because events are evenly spaced on the line no matter the time between them kids get no idea how long a certain event took to occur or how close 2 events were to each other.

[Braley Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a biography of Lucille Ball. When Lucille was kid she always like to entertain people and she loved to laugh. She always used humor to solve her problems because she was born a comedian. Ever since she stepped foot on stage she knew she wanted that to be a part of her life. She chased her dream to become a performer. Therefore, I liked this biography because it explains to children to never give up on your biggest dreams.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Lucille Ball. It was nice to read more about her in a format my daughter was interested in, too. Years later, and even after her death, Lucy continues to be an inspiring woman, who persisted no matter how many times she was rejected. That's a great lesson for a kid! I love Brad Melter's way of telling stories in a powerful way, yet keeping them gentle enough for kids. The illustrations make these stories even more appealing. Can't wait to read the rest of these!!

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this little biography of Lucille Ball. It's perfect for kids, and the illustrations are so cute and colourful. Lucy loved to laugh and always made others laugh. She knew she wanted to be a performer from the first time she stepped on stage, and she had great success with her show, "I Love Lucy". She never gave up on her dream, and using her sense of humour, she grew up to be one of Hollywood's biggest stars and comedians.

[Homewood Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

These graphic novel biographies by Brad Meltzer are super stinking cute. They are also chock full of information that kids can digest visually and by reading.

Lucille Ball was a legendary comic, and seeing her antics through this book was fun and informative. The bright colors and adorable drawing are appealing to all ages, but especially to the middle school and under set.

Highly recommended series.

- Miss Kelly

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very inspiring and brought back many happy memories of watching “I love Lucy” as a kid. My daughter and I watched it after reading this book and it was nice to share with her.

This book made me tear up too, thinking about how much we should have faith in ourselves. How much we would be compassionate to ourselves. It was a get lesson for kids to learn. Love this book so much.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucille Ball was an instrumental figure in comedy and television. This graphic novel biography for children is adorable. It carries a positive message for young ladies who don't fit into a traditional mold, and encourages readers to find their own joy.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

I like that since the beginning of this series they have added a few resources at the end. Intriguing intro to Lucille Ball for young readers.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a great book about Lucille Ball that is geared for children. A great story of how Lucille persevered when people didn't "get" her, and made her dreams come true.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good picture book for this series. It had a good message about loving yourself.

[Christina Farr-Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book that tells a child's view of her life. It is very encouraging bro children. Bravo on the book!!