#Presidents: Follow The Leaders

Gr 3–6—A book with an identity crisis. This title attempts to combine the fun of social media with facts about the U.S. presidents, with poor results. Though the copyright page calls this a work of fiction, this volume contains true facts about the presidents and other important historical figures. Each spread features imagined online user names, text messages, and far too many hashtags. On the first spread, General Washington1776 informs readers that "since I'm #numberone, it's only right that I have just #onetooth left!" With luck, readers won't be confused when BaminObama texts back, "That's not good! You gotta brush! #Cmon #dentalhygiene!!" The author is imaginative. Some presidents follow no one, while others follow more than thousands of people. Some presidents have odd user names and even odder rants, such as HerbertHoover (whose user name is HowToPronounceSherbet), who states, "My #FellowAmericans. I come to you tonight to discuss an important matter: 'Sherbet' does not rhyme with my name. Pronounced #SureBit. #NotSureBert. #NeverSureBert." Meanwhile, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt argue about who's more popular. In addition to covering the presidents, Owen also gives online profiles to a few First Ladies, TheFirstKids, TheWhiteHouse, PrezPets, Benjamin Franklin (AllAbtTheBenjies), Camp David, the Secret Service, and the current White House chef. One saving grace of this strange little book is the historical time line at the end. VERDICT #NoShelfLife.—Marie Drucker, Malverne Public Library, NY