King's Courage (Blast to the Past) [Paperback]

Stacia Deutsch (Author), Rhody Cohon (Author), David Wenzel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Blast to the Past

Get out the vote!

It's another exciting Monday for Abigail, Zack, Jacob, and Bo -- they are going to jump back to the past to meet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! The kids need to convince Dr. King not to get discouraged and to lead one of his famous voting rights marches. And they've got to do it with the twins' baby brother, Gabe, in tow!

But today's mission will be more challenging -- and more suprising -- than any that they've faced so far. Luckily this time they'll get some help from two very special people....

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. In the third entry in the Blast to the Past series, adventures in the mold of the Magic Treehouse and Time Warp Trio books, Abigail and her three pals receive another mission from their social-studies teacher. This time, their time machine lands them in Selma, Alabama, during the voters' rights marches of 1965, and the group must convince a disheartened Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to stay the course--while wrangling an accidentally transported toddler. The series' mysterious epidemic of discouragement among American historical figures doesn't bear much scrutiny, and in this particular scenario, it's a little jarring that none of the kids are African American. Still, children will respond to the portrayal of the lauded history maker as a fallible, approachable human being as well as to the urgent threat of nullified civil rights. Jaunty illustrations and a brisk, plot-driven pace are just right for newcomers to chapter books; perhaps with an eye to streamlining the text for its intended audience, the term blacks is used throughout rather than the multisyllabic African Americans. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Stacia Deutsch and her writing partner, Rhody Cohon, have written more than twenty-one books in the past four years. In addition to their award winning creative chapter book series entitled, BLAST TO THE PAST, Stacia and Rhody have also ghost written for a popular girl's mystery series, published two non-fiction texts, and a young adult romantic comedy called IN THE STARS. They have also written junior movie tie in novels for summer blockbuster films, including BATMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT. Stacia lives in Irvine, California with her three children. Visit her at www.blasttothepastbooks.com.

Rhody Cohon does all the research and editing for the series. She has a

master's degree in computer engineering. Rhody has three children as

well; they live in Tucson, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141691269X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416912699
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #868,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Concept, Unneccesary Comparison, January 19, 2009

By 

Fly in Buttermilk (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King's Courage (Blast to the Past) (Paperback)

What's not to like about the concept of this book? Time travel? Kids encountering MLK as a living person! It's a great idea and I would rate it higher if not for one fundamental issue that pops up a few times in the book. In the first few pages there is a reference to Malcolm X and violence. While it is true that Malcolm was open to the idea of violence, the book gives the impression that Malcolm was only interested in being violent. In this way Malcolm and Martin are pitted against one another. Of course, there is some validity to the comparison, but only some. Malcolm was much more complicated and necessary for the Civil Rights movement than the book suggests. And it is more accurate to identify Malcolm as an advocate of self-defense.

The book does not tell you that Martin said of him that "while we did not always see eye to eye on methods to solve the race problem, I always had a deep affection for Malcolm and felt that he had a great ability to put his finger on the existence and the root of the problem." It also doesn't share Malcolm's thoughts on the March on Washington. Malcolm said, "I don't agree with it, but I am going to be there, brother, 'cause that's where I belong." More scholarly texts, James Cone's Malcolm and Martin for example, have the perspective that Malcolm and Martin were complimentary.

I would encourage a child to read this book if I knew that I had the time to talk more truthfully about Malcolm without vilifying him in the process, like the media did during the movement.

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories for Children Magazine 4 Star Review, July 3, 2008

By 

Virginia S. Grenier "Children's Author & Stor... (Ivins, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King's Courage (Blast to the Past) (Paperback)

What a terrific idea for a series of books! Co-Authors Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon wrote this eight-book series and focus on different American historical figures - in this book, it is Martin Luther King Jr.

Abigail, Zack, Jacob and Bo are classmates who have a very special social studies teacher - Mr. Caruthers. With the aid of his specially invented time travel computer, he has his four students travel back through time to convince Martin Luther King Jr. to not give up his dream. They only have two hours to complete their mission, which gets extremely complicated when Zack and Jacob's younger brother, Gabe, needs to be babysat for the afternoon. Gabe grabs the computer and starts to disappear in a poof of green smoke into the time travel hole - the four classmates have no choice but to follow Gabe through the hole, find Gabe in the past, rescue the computer from him, and find Dr. King and convince him to continue on.

Did they find baby Gabe in 1965? Did baby Gabe trap them in the future by accidentally chewing on and breaking the computer? Did they join the march for voting rights? Did they find and convince Martin Luther King Jr. to not give up his dream? After all, they only have two hours to complete their mission! You will just have to read this action-packed very exciting book to find out what happens.

This book is chock full of history, including the historic voting rights march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. I was fifteen and remember watching all the news coverage on this historic event, and all the trouble Dr. King encountered, and what a burden he carried to win voting rights for black Americans with the heavy threat of violence always hanging over his head. I can still hear the song, "We shall overcome" in my memory and was so happy to see it included in this story.

What a great way for kids to learn about American history! I was fascinated! The black and white illustrations of Illustrator David Wenzel were peppered throughout the book in just the right spots - he sure can draw realistically and yet be kid-friendly at the same time.

Reviewed by: Gayle Jacobson-Huset, Managing Editor

4.0 out of 5 stars a great series!, April 28, 2008

By 

B. Clark "mom to boys" (Ridgewood, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King's Courage (Blast to the Past) (Paperback)

We love this series! My kids are telling anyone who will listen all about Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation or about Alexander Graham Bell and the lightbulb. They are similar to the MAGIC TREE HOUSE series but written for a slightly more sophisticated reader.