Ghosts of the White House [Hardcover]

Cheryl Harness (Author)

Book Description

Imagine being on a White House tour and suddenly finding yourself surrounded by the ghosts of past presidents....

Sara and her class are listening to a tour guide droning on in the East Room, when George Washington leans out of his painting and plucks Sara into the ghost world. There, George gives her a personal tour, introducing her to thirty-five other ghost presidents, who tell her what it was like to live in the White House and face the problems of their times. In the State Dining Room, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson discuss the expedition of Lewis and Clark. In the Diplomatic Reception Room, Franklin Roosevelt speaks of the wonders of radio. And in the Oval Office, John F. Kennedy reminisces about his first day as president. Together the ghosts create a thought-provoking portrait of the challenges of being the nation's leader.

With short biographies of all forty-two presidents, a timeline, lots of fascinating trivia, and conversations between presidential ghosts who never met in life, Ghosts of the White House is an informative and entertaining look at U.S. history. This is a tour that Sara -- and the readers who join her -- will never forget!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Sara is excited about going on a field trip to the White House. Once there, she is unexpectedly pulled ("Magic Schoolbus" fashion) into a portrait of George Washington and given a grand tour by Mr. Washington himself. As they move from room to room, Sara meets the ghosts of the men who made this very special house famous. The approach is neither chronological nor alphabetical. Instead, each room is associated with a few presidents. Readers will find Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower in "The Map Room" briefly discussing D day while Millard Fillmore and Richard Nixon discuss their similarities in "The China Room." Numerous speech balloons are full of little-known facts and imagined opinions. For example, Harry Truman tells Sara about the deteriorated state of the White House in 1945 while exclaiming that the current need to check visitors with metal detectors "makes me mad!" Sidebars contain additional facts including dates of birth and death, nicknames, and term dates. An illustrated time line and an explanation of the office of the president is included, and the five still-living presidents are given brief treatment on a separate page. While the detailed watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations and the curious tidbits of information make this volume a potentially appealing browsing item, be aware that its lack of traditional organization and presentation of opinion as fact hinder its use as a source of reliable information.?Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-5. Harness presents facts within a fictional framework in this history picture book for older children. Bored by the White House guide's presentation to her class, Sara is happy to be snared by the ghost of George Washington, who takes her on his own tour. Within each new room they enter, ghosts of the former presidents tell Sara a little about their presidential experiences and offer commentary on the events of the other periods. In the Treaty Room, for example, James Madison teaches Sara about the Constitution, James Monroe talks about writing the Monroe Doctrine, and Woodrow Wilson explains why sheep grazed on the front lawn during his presidency. Thought balloons are used to convey much of the information, with biographical facts on the presidents found in the page borders. Like Alice Provensen's My Fellow Americans (1995), this presents history as real people with real personalities rather than as dry, dusty textbook facts, and the tantalizing tidbits presented may pique student interest enough for them to follow up on their own. Susan Dove Lempke

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689808720
• ISBN-13: 978-0689808722
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cheryl Harness makes her home in Independence, Missouri, the "Queen City of the Trails," a couple of blocks away from the big white house where Harry and Bess Truman used to live. She lives with Mimi (a black and white Shih Tsu)), and Merrie Emma (a cross-eyed scaredy-cat). As an author, illustrator, public speaker, and presenter in many an elementary school, Cheryl is known for her engaging, entertaining approach to history, her detailed watercolors, and the way she plays her harmonica.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History comes alive with "Ghosts of the White House", April 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts of the White House (Hardcover)

My eight-year old son received this book as a Christmaspresent. He is very interested in presidential trivia and has at leasta dozen other books about presidents.

In the three months he has hadthe book, he has read it so many times it is already starting to fall apart! Since it's really a collection of anecdotes and facts, it's easy to pick up when he has a minute.

The book provides many interesting bits of trivia about the presidents -- even the relatively obscure ones. While many books concentrate on Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and the Roosevelts, this book includes tidbits on all of the presidents. It's not just a list of dates of birth and death, first lady's name, party affiliation, etc.

The illustrations are beautiful.

If you know a child who is interested in presidential trivia or American history, this book is a must. And it may spark the interest of a child who isn't interested in history (yet).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun look at history and the White House, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts of the White House (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated book filled with interesting and fun facts about each president. My nine-year old as well as my 12-year old found it entertaining. Even if your children haven't visited the White House, they will enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend it for a classroom library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars makes learning about the White House fun, February 3, 2006

By 

Mary Blanchard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghosts of the White House (Paperback)

I purchased this book for my 9 yr old daughter because the author was coming to her school. I'm really glad I did. My daughter loved reading this book. It's got a really cute story, and lots of interesting facts about the white house and former presidents. This book is a great tool to help get kids interested in American History.