• Age: 10 to 18
• Grade: 5 to 12

Called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, received the Order of Canada and is considered to have been one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. This new biography from award-winning author Jack Batten, promises to tell Oscar Peterson's story in acomplete, compelling and sympathetic way. This is first biography of Oscar Peterson for young people.

This book is the story of a black kid from a Montreal ghetto who reached accliam in the great music halls of the world.

Jack Batten practised law in Toronto for four years before turning to a life of writing. He has written for all the major Canadian magazines and is the author of thirty-three books including four crime novels. Five of his nonfiction books dealt with real-life Canadian lawyers, judges, and court cases; a biography of John Robinette was among these books. Batten's books have also dealt with sports, Canadian history, and biography. He has reviewed jazz for The Globe and Mail, movies for CBC radio, and still writes a column on crime fiction for the Toronto Star. His biography of Tom Longboat won the $10,000 Norma Fleck Award for best children's nonfiction in 2002, and the book is being made into a feature film. His most recent book is The Annex: The Story of a Toronto Neighbourhood, published in 2004.

Jack Batten's profile page

“If you are looking for a solid biography for middle schoolers of the man who was arguably the top jazz pianist for over twenty years and among the best for the rest of his life, then look no further than this book. Though it is only briefly referenced, the author met Peterson back in 1965, and his clear respect for the man, as well as Peterson’s formidable jazz skills, shows throughout this book…. Still inexorably leading you through Peterson’s life, Batten makes the reader unfamiliar with songs run to the web to listen for the first time….”
– VOYA Magazine

Praise for The War To End All Wars
"...Batten's account is a model of lucidity.... Batten's clean, intelligent prose makes this highly readable and comprehensible...."
—The Toronto Star

"...a fine introduction, especially for a young reader."
—VOYA

Praise for The Man Who Ran Faster Than Everyone: The Story Of Tom Longboat

"vividly readable...brilliantly done!"
—Norma Fleck Jury

"[T]his book is a superb narrative - and a revelatory one - about a largely unknown if not quite unsung Canadian icon."
—The Globe and Mail

"...a wonderful book. Jack Batten has written a riveting sports story...an intriguing slice of social and economic life in the early decades of the 20th century, raising some provocative questions..."
— Books in Canada