Customer Reviews

Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No doubt young readers will be struck by the idea that on June 9, 1909 a twenty-two-year-old woman named Alice Ramsey made a name for herself by becoming the first woman to drive across America in an automobile. After all, the thought that this achievement would be a big deal should strike this as being somewhat odd. But one of the things that "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" does is remind its readers what life was like at the turn of the last century, especially if you happened to be a woman (after all, women could not yet vote in the United States).

Told and illustrated with watercolor paintings by Don Brown, "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" makes it clear why this fifty-nine day trip, which began on June 9, 1909, was something akin to something done by pioneers the century before. After all, Alice did this trip traveling with her friend and her sisters-in-law, and the only one who knew anything about automobiles was Alice. The car was a Maxwell touring car, which had a top speed of 42 miles per hour and where you had to light the headlamps with a match. To make things even more interesting there were no road signs, many roads were for horses rather than automobiles, and the only guidebook that existed for motorists only covered the eastern part of the country.

What is fascinating here are the details, the problems both big and small, that Alice Ramsey faced while driving across the country in her Maxwell. After all, this trip took place less than a century ago, which makes "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" a great example of those tales about the Olden Days when you can really tell how different things were way back then. If young readers were to think about what they could do today that would be in the same spirit, if not the same scale, as what Alice Ramsey did, it would be interesting to see what they might come up with to rival this road trip.

"On June 9, 1909, Alice Ramsey drove out of New York City and into a grand adventure. Alice Ramsey wanted to be the first woman to drive across America. Alice's friend, Hermine, and her sisters-in-law, Nettie and Margaret, traveled with her..." So begins Don Brown's marvelous story of a little known young woman and her dream. Mr Brown's engaging and informative text, told in an easy to read conversational style, is filled with enlightening details about how the trip progressed over its 59 day period. Pigs clogged the road in Illinois, and railroad tracks slowed them down in Chicago and "...the car bounced over mile after mile of rail until the women were dizzy." Dirt roads became muddy and impassable when it rained, and as they traveled further west, there were no roads at all. "Alice followed telephone lines, hoping the wires would lead her to the next town. It wasn't always successful-sometimes it left them even more lost." And there were many mishaps and breakdowns along the way. But as she crested the Sierra Mountains, Alice knew she was now in California and close to her goal. "Alice guided the Maxwell onto a ferry that carried them to San Fransisco. When she rolled off the ferry behind the wheel of her Maxwell, Alice Ramsey became the first woman to have driven across America! It was August 7, 1909, Fifty-nine days had passed since Alice left New York City." Charming watercolor illustrations add just the right touch, and highlight the important events of the story. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure is an inspiring tale, told by a gifted storyteller, that is sure to whet the appetite of adventurous readers and send them out looking for more.

Don Brown should dish out history to our children on a regular basis, it's good for them but not like feeding them carrots, more like feeding them carrot cake!

This is a darn good read...with pictures to boot. Unfortunately my eight year old now wants to drive cross country. Not have me drive her mind you, she wants to be the one doing the driving.

Luminous watercolors and a straightforward writing style serve to enchant the reader without over-romanticizing a true story. I look forward to more by this author.

Alice Ramsey of Hackensack, New Jersey was twenty-two years old in June of Nineteen Nine, when she started out on her trip driving trip across America with her two sisters-in-law and her friend Hermine as passengers. Narrow roads, dirt roads and roads that were barely there at all challenged them, as did mud, rivers and mountains. And when the car broke Alice was the one who had to get it working again. One has to remember that though this trip was a bit less than a century ago, this was an amazing feet. Women didn't have the vote, were considered much to gentle for such a task and many didn't think Alice would come through, but come through she did, making the trip in fifty-nine days.

This is a super book with out of sight illustrations by Mr. Brown. My young son loves the pictures and when he's old enough to really understand the story, he's going to love Alice Ramsey as we read along about her grand adventure. Three thumbs up at my house. One from young Devon, One from Mommy Sara and one from me.

A wonderful introduction to the conditions of the roads for the early travelers by car in America. Because of their determination, our roads were improved and the automobile industry flurished. A great way to make children and adults aware of the history of the early automobiles and how people like Alice Ramsey believed in them. The geography lessons lend themselves to great mapping activities.

The spirit of the times at the turn of the last century was driven by all the dazzling transportation "firsts" -- FIRST solo Atlantic flight, FIRST woman Atlantic flight, FIRST cross-country flight, FIRST black coast-to-coast flight, and on and on.

This book details the first coast-to-coast car trip by a woman, in 1909. The roads were wretched, the directions were laughable, the car was fickle, and her friends were so much ballast. But she made it.

This is a good historical story, with context and GREAT illustrations. It is not a full biography, so check with the teacher before your child chooses Alice Ramsey for a biography book report.

I received three books by this author for Christmas from my Secret Santa at LibraryThing. Of the three, I think this is the weakest. Instead of focusing on Alice Ramsey's life, it covers only her first trip across the nation. I would rather have seen more information about her instead of just facts about the trip.

However, the trip is covered in a clear and factual way, and it is interesting in and of itself, even if it's not what I was expecting in a biography. It's bound to be interesting to anybody who wants a change from the normal Women's History lineup of Earheart and Curie and Helen Keller, or to any child particularly interested in cars... especially if they're girls and are getting the idea that it's *wrong* for girls to like cars, that that's a boy thing.

I worry that I'm judging it unfairly and comparing it to the other two books I have by this author, which are just so good, so I'll give it a full 4 stars and leave it at that.

This book was JUST OK... sometimes the author got so wrapped up into giving the information that "storyline" for children might have been lost a little. MORE isn't always Better.