Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

My first experience with an author has to be a certain level of excellent to convince me that the next book I see by him or her is automatically worth a read; Bomb:  The Race to Build–And Steal–The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon earned Steve Sheinkin that level of instant credibility handily.  Which is why, despite the not-my-style cover, I did everything I could to get my hands on Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler as soon as possible.  A new series about historical figures quitting history in frustration to pursue other careers, because kids in schools everywhere are claiming history is boring?  If it’s by the author of Bomb, sign me up.  I may not love the cover art, but I imagine its target audience will find it amusing, and the story itself was a fast-and-funny romp from beginning to end.  And I do mean FAST.  Whereas Bomb would challenge the vast majority of elementary schoolers, this new “Time Twisters” series is ideal for second graders or so; older elementary grades are likely to enjoy it, but it’s still far easier than what I typically give my third grader to read, as well as what she picks out for herself.  This first book focuses very specifically on a single event in Lincoln’s life–1860’s presidential election–rather than trying for an overview.  That’s probably wise for the length and style, really–once you got going with Lincoln, where would you stop?–but it will be interesting to see my fifth grader’s reaction (she said she’d give it a try, because it looked funny).  I’ll keep you posted!