Elizabeth and her brother live on a farm for a summer-and learn a whole new way of living and dreaming Elizabeth likes to invent stories. When she travels to her uncle's farm for a summer, she starts by making up new names for herself and her younger brother: "Geeder" and "Toeboy." As "Geeder" explores the farm on her own and with her brother, she encounters mysteries that capture her imagination, among them a tall, proud woman who looks just like an African queen that Elizabeth has read about in a magazine. Elizabeth spins tales about the people and places around her, but she comes to realize that sometimes the truth is more interesting than make-believe.
"With the publication of Zeely . . . Hamilton helped to launch the modern era of African-American children's literature, and from there, she went on to become one of America's premier writers of children's literature."
Professor Rudine Sims Bishop, Ohio State University
