Elle grew up in Third Ward neighborhood of Houston.[1] She has worked as a preschool, middle school, and high school educator. Elle is Black.[2]
Writing career
Elle's young adult fantasy novel Wings of Ebony (2020), the first book in a duology of the same name, was a New York Times bestseller.[3][4] The Third Ward neighborhood where she grew up was the model for the East Row neighborhood in the book.[2]Wings of Ebony was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens in 2022.[5][6]Daniel Jose Older reviewed the book on National Public Radio.[7] It was the 2022 First Novelist honor book of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.[8]Kirkus Reviews wrote, "debut author Elle’s characters shine with determination and heart".[9]Publishers Weekly wrote that it was a "poignant debut" and that "Elle relentlessly highlights the ancestral trauma of genocide, colonialism, and institutional racism that Black people endure to this day".[10]School Library Journal wrote that it was a "high-stakes debut" and "#BlackGirlMagic at its most earnest, teaching readers that strength is nothing to apologize for".[11]
Ashes of Gold (2022), the second book in the Wings of Ebony duology, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, which wrote, "Elle’s thrilling conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology delivers a hefty punch".[12]
Elle's A Taste of Magic (2022) was called a "fast-paced, heartfelt story deliciously blends realism with the whimsy of the mystical" by Kirkus Reviews.[13] Elle has said that her grandmother was an inspiration for the book.[14]Publishers Weekly called it a "whimsical culinary fantasy" and praised Elle for "a story of familial love and friendship and tops it with pure culinary enthusiasm".[15]Booklist referred to it as a "warm food- and family-centered story".[16]
^Ballenger, Kit. "A Taste of Magic." Booklist. Vol. 118, no. 21. 2022-07-01. P. 79. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023. Via Gale Literature Resource Center.(subscription required)
