A Long Way To Go (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Once Upon America Book) [School & Library Binding]

Zibby O'Neal (Author), Michael Dooling (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Once Upon America Book

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Eight-year-old Lila deals with the women's suffrage movement that rages during World War I.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These two books mark the debut of the Once Upon America series, presenting segments of American history to middle readers through the eyes of a young person of the time. A Long Way to Go takes place during the tumultuous days of women's suffrage: Lila, eight, sees the conflict in her own family as her grandmother, a fervent supporter of the vote for women, clashes with Lila's traditionalist father. Gradually drawn into the debate, Lila manages to convince her father of the injustice of inequality and is allowed to march in a suffragist parade. In Hero Over Here the scene shifts to the deadly flu epidemic of 1918. Feeling left out because his father and older brother are off fighting the war, Theodore is soon faced with a battle of his own when his mother and sister come down with the illness and he must nurse them by himself. In a propitious beginning to the series, both stories breathe color and life into subjects all too often relegated to an uninteresting unit in a social studies curriculum. Pictures not seen by PW. Ages 7-11.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

A wealthy New York City household is disrupted when 10-year-old Lila's very proper grandmother is arrested for picketing the White House for women's suffrage. The year is 1917, the U. S. is at war, and the general feeling is that President Wilson has enough on his mind without the rantings of these outspoken society women. Lila empathizes with their plight not only because of her grandmother's involvement but because she is constantly frustrated by all the things she's forbidden to do. A series of events causes her to challenge her father's conservative views and he re-evaluates his stance, allowing Lila to join her grandmother in a pro-suffrage parade. Amplified by Dooling's fine, full-page pencil drawings, Lila is portrayed as a likable, spirited heroine. However, she is a child of privilege who has nothing to lose by her actions. She romanticizes the freedoms of the poorer children she meets when in effect they are helping to support their family. For all her liberal ideals, there is little real sense of a struggle, which detracts from an otherwise well-told slice of American history. Oneal adds a brief overview of the 70-year campaign to win women the right to vote at the story's end. --Luann Toth , School Library Journal
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 54 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (July 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0833583743
• ISBN-13: 978-0833583741
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,475,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Prefer American Girls Series, July 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Long Way To Go (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Once Upon America Book) (School & Library Binding)

The Once Upon America series book "A Long Way To Go" is just ok. It's an easy chapter book geared for 4th-5th graders and takes actual history and presents it in a fictionalized setting hoping that it will be easier to understand.

It follows an 8 year old girl whose grandma is involved in the Womens Movement. The historical events are mildly interesting but I prefer the American Girls Series. I feel those books really seem to bring history to life. I was sort of bored reading this book, I felt like it was an assignment.