Zendaya: Star Performer
Zendaya: Star Performer
Zendaya: Star Performer
STAR PERFORMER
BY PEGGY CARAVANTES M O M E N T U M
ZENDAYA
STAR PERFORMER
BY PEGGY CARAVANTES
Published by The Child’s World®
1980 Lookout Drive • Mankato, MN 56003-1705
800-599-READ • www.childsworld.com
ISBN 9781503820005
LCCN 2016960924
Think About It 21
Glossary 22
Source Notes 23
To Learn More 24
Index 24
FAST FACTS
Name
• Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman
Birthdate
• September 1, 1996
Birthplace
• Oakland, California
Fun Trivia
• Zendaya means “to give thanks” in the Shona
language of Zimbabwe.
• Zendaya’s friends call her “Daya.”
• Zendaya’s motto is “don’t forget to smile.”1
• Burritos are Zendaya’s favorite food, and her
favorite dessert is coffee-flavored ice cream.
4
5
Chapter 1
EARLY YEARS
T
he day started with 14-year-old Zendaya sitting in
her closet. It was late 2010, and she was trying to
decide what to wear for her audition. She often spent
hours trying to choose an outfit. She had been told
she needed to wear more colors. But she liked black,
white, and neutral colors best, except on her shoes. So
she started by choosing her shoes. This time they were
bright pink sneakers. With them, she wore black tights
and a black decorated T-shirt.
7
In 2011, Zendaya went to the movie
premiere of Gnomeo & Juliet.
8
The producer
surprised her when
“Sometimes you can reach
she got to the studio. your destination by taking a
He asked her to read totally different road.”3
the part of Raquel —Zendaya
9
Zendaya thanked her fans as she
accepted her 2016 Kids’ Choice Award.
20
Zendaya believes that young people have an
opportunity to change the world. She raises money for
Convoy of Hope, a program to help feed women living
in poverty. Whenever she speaks to her young fans, she
encourages them to join her in raising their voices to
help others.
THINK ABOUT IT
• Zendaya says that her motto is, “Don’t forget to smile.”
What is another motto she seems to live by?
• In her book Between U and Me, Zendaya told her young
readers, “Just believe in yourself, in your ideas, in your
dreams.”11 Find at least two examples of Zendaya following
her own advice.
• Zendaya encourages her fans to raise their voices to help
others. Write a letter to Zendaya telling her how you help
others in your school or community.
21
GLOSSARY
audition (aw-DISH-uhn): An audition is a short performance to test the
talents of a musician, singer, dancer, or actor. Sometimes, Zendaya
and Bella Thorne would audition for the same part.
neutral (NOO-truhl): Neutral colors are those that are pale and not
bright, such as beige and gray. Zendaya prefers neutral colors,
especially black and white.
22
SOURCE NOTES
1. Zendaya. Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and
Confidence. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013. Print. 4.
2. Ibid., 179.
3. Ibid., 184.
4. Elizabeth Wagmeister. “Last Dance: Bella Thorne and Zendaya Say Goodbye to
Shake It Up.” TV Guide. CBS Interactive Inc., 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
5. Lillian Chen. “Worth Noting: Zendaya Coleman.” Seventeen.com. Hearst
Communications Inc., 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
6. “Zendaya Coleman—Reality Television Star, Singer, Television Actress.”
Biography. A&E Television Networks, Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
7. Elizabeth Wagmeister. “Last Dance: Bella Thorne and Zendaya Say Goodbye to
Shake It Up.” TV Guide. CBS Interactive Inc., 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
8. Zendaya. Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and
Confidence. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013. Print. 4.
9. Hannah Orenstein. “The Real Reason Zendaya Has Stayed with Disney.”
Seventeen.com. Hearst Communications Inc., 2 Jun. 2016. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
10. “6 of Our Favorite Quotes From Our Zendaya Interview.” jonesmagazine.com.
Jones Digital Inc., 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
11. Zendaya. Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and
Confidence. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013. Print. 8.
23
TO LEARN MORE
Books
Giovanni, Nikki. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry
with a Beat. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2008.
Schwartz, Heather E. Zendaya: Capturing the Stage, Screen, and
Modeling Scene. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2015.
Zendaya. Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style
and Confidence. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013.
Web Sites
Visit our Web site for links about Zendaya:
childsworld.com/links
Note to Parents, Teachers, and Librarians: We routinely verify our Web links to make sure
they are safe and active sites. So encourage your readers to check them out!
INDEX
Academy of Hawaiian dancing, 7, 9, 11–13, producer, 9
Arts, 11 15–17
Shake It Up (television
audition, 7, 8 Dancing with the Stars
show), 8, 13
(television show),
Between U and Me 15–17 singing, 9, 11, 17
(book), 17
Disney Studios, 8, 13, Thorne, Bella, 13
California 19
Shakespeare Zendaya (album), 17
Future Shock, 11
Theater, 9
Cheetah Girls, 11 K. C. Undercover
childhood, 9, 11–12 (television show),
19
Convoy of Hope, 21
Kids’ Choice Award,
coproducer, 19
19
24
SUPERSTAR
STORIES
Adele: Music Sensation