Wish You Were Here [Hardcover]

Kathleen Krull (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

During the wildest summer of her life so far, Emily and her grandmother visit each and every one of the 50 states. They fly to see the highest place in North America--4 miles up Mount McKinley in Alaska--and drive through the desert to the lowest (and hottest), in Death Valley. Emily describes the breathtaking sights, scrumptious food, funny stories, and fascinating history that make each state unique. She describes many customs brought here from other countries and the contributions of American Indians. In Emily's entries and in tables at the back of the book, there are plenty of incredible facts, important dates in history, and stories of famous people. Packed with information and amusement, this is a delightful introduction to the U.S.A.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not quite an atlas, almost a travel diary, Wish You Were Here uses Emily's trip with Grandma as a device to get to all 50 U.S. states and offers illustrated geographic, cultural, and tourist information on each, along with state capitals, state mottos, and impressively unintimidating maps. There are famous quotes and cool trivia facts. (Did you know that 17 of the highest mountains in the United States are in Alaska?) This one's a winner and should go along on any family journey. (For age 5 and up and the whole family)

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5. Emily and her energetic grandmother set off on a grand adventure in a little red car. Their plan is to visit every state and Washington, DC, in one summer, exploring the things that give each place its character and uniqueness. The resulting oversized book is a visually appealing travel guide with a fine balance of prose and illustration. Each state's two-page spread features a U.S. map highlighting its location; a sparsely detailed map of the state; a highlighted box with strange, unusual, important, or little-known facts; and illustrations (not photographs) of important landmarks and symbols. There is no danger of information overload for young readers because each detail and fact is selected with an eye for high-interest appeal. The breezy style and conversational tone will appeal to browsers and trip-takers; there is not enough information for report writers.?Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers; First edition. edition (May 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038531146X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385311465
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,427,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

KATHLEEN KRULL is well known for her innovative, award-winning nonfiction for young readers, which includes the successful Lives of... series. Kathleen Krull lives in San Diego, CA. Visit her at www.kathleenkrull.com AND http://facebook.com/kathleen.krull

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of the 50 states for kids, August 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wish You Were Here (Hardcover)

This is a book about a trip a girl named Emily took with her grandmother one summer to all 50 states. As they travel, Emily records her thoughts on each state as well as bits of its history and interesting facts (do you know which state boasts the largest watermelon grown?). Each state is covered on 2 pages. As a homeschooling Mom, I am using this book to spark interest in my 7 year old daughter as we study American geography and history. We are learning lots of interesting facts about what there is to see and do all over our country. I initially bought the book to help prepare my daughter for a trip we were taking through 3 states but found the book so enjoyable and helpful that we kept it and are using it in school to supplement our other material. Now if we could just figure out a way to take our own trip to all 50 states...