Library Intern Book Reviews
Publisher
Chronicle Kids, Chronicle Books
City
San Francisco, California, United States of America, CA
Date of Publication
2020
ISBN
9781452174884
Date of Review
2021
Disciplines
Children's and Young Adult Literature | Library and Information Science | Modern Literature | United States History
Keywords
Children's literature, reviews, presidents, American History
Recommended Citation
Gosman, Katie E., "Review of The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America's Presidents by Kate Messner" (2021). Library Intern Book Reviews. 312.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/312
Files
Download Review (117 KB)
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Library and Information Science Commons, Modern Literature Commons, United States History Commons
Review
Have you ever wondered what the presidents did before they were presidents? Abraham Lincoln worked on a riverboat. Bill Clinton played the tenor saxophone. Theodore Roosevelt had a pet badger named Josiah and a small bear named Jonathan Edwards…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! What else is there to know about the presidents? The Next President walks through the early lives of each and every US president (save Joe Biden, who had not been elected at the time it was written). Though it was written for children, even adults can read this book and learn things about past presidents that they never knew before! Many presidents had ordinary jobs before they became the leader of America. Some were farmers, others were studying something completely different than law in college, and one even oversaw a mining company in Australia! As America changes, so do the people whose faces become known as presidential candidates. It is impossible to say who America’s next president will be, whether they will be a man or woman, white or of color, older or much younger. However, the book’s conclusion rings true: our future presidents are busy growing up, “growing into the job”. The Next President is not afraid to delve into more difficult topics when discussing the lives of America’s past leaders. Slavery, duals, assassination—all these are realities of the presidency. However, there are a few times throughout the book where a stark political opinion is implied. It is never explicit, and would be overlooked by a child, but to an adult, it becomes obvious where the author’s political agenda lies on the spectrum. However, if that is something that does not bother the reader, then it can easily be overlooked. Bias seeps into everything people do, even writing children’s books. Overall, though, the book was wonderfully engaging and interesting, and is recommended by the reviewer. Recommended. Katie Gosman, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University.