by Stacy Deutsch and Rhody Cohon
If your younger elementary student likes Magic Tree House book series, you might want to introduce them to the Blast to the Past series by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon. This new series asks readers to consider what the world would be like if our famous American visionaries gave up and quit when things got hard. The Blast to the Past series is perfect for introducing your young reader to American history.
My daughter read and thoroughly enjoyed Lincoln's Legacy, in which four third grade students must time-travel to find Abraham Lincoln. The book starts with Mr. Caruthers, the students' teacher, asking them cool questions about history. This particular Monday, Mr. C asks, "What if Abraham Lincoln never freed the slaves?" Unknown to the students, however, Mr. Caruthers has a secret: a special computer that allows him to visit the past. And his question isn't just rhetorical, either. Mr. Lincoln is discouraged by the course of the war and is considering giving up, and Mr. C wants the 4 students to change his mind.
The book progresses as the children land (literally) in the past and must find Lincoln. I liked the way the book reminds the reader that many things we take for granted didn't exist in Lincoln's day, like several famous parts of the White House. Once they find President Lincoln, the kids must use their ingenuity and their knowledge of history to encourage him not to quit. Of course they succeed and all is well, at least until the next adventure.
My daughter is looking forward to reading more books in the series; due out next are Disney's Dream (published this month), Bell's Breakthrough, King's Courage, and Sacagawea's Sunset.