Includes glossary. This only covers her life up til Barack Obama becomes president.

Booktalk: Once upon a time there was a little girl named Michelle. She was very smart and did well in school. In fact she was so smart, she skipped the second grade! But even though she was smart, she didn't do very well on tests. So she always worked hard on her homework and assignments in class. Michelle grew up, went to college and became a lawyer. One day her law firm hired a new lawyer and assigned Michelle to be his mentor. (Define mentor.) Well, this new lawyer really liked Michelle and she liked him, too, and maybe they were even falling in love! But Michelle wanted to make sure this was the real deal. Michelle's big brother was a star basketball player in college and she learned from him that you can always tell what a person is like by the way he plays basketball. Is he mean or selfish? Does he cooperate and get along with people? So she asked her big brother to play basketball with her new boyfriend and find out what kind of person he really was. Well, after the game, her big brother said, "Your boy can ball. He's the real deal." Michelle ended up marrying her boyfriend and everyone here knows who he is. Because that little girl who skipped the second grade and didn't do well on tests is Michelle Obama, wife of President Barack Obama...

Summary:
This book written as a biography for children talks about the first lady, Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama is a very strong and passionate women who has been by her husbands side throughout his time in office. We always here about Barack Obama but this is Michelle's story. This is a story of a hardworking girl who grew up on the south side of Chicago and how she has gotten to where she is today.

Review:
This is a very inspiring book about Michelle Obamas life. Michelle has made our nation to believe in the American Dream that her life exemplifies, not matter who you are. One of the powerful lines she said was "America should be a place where you make it if you try" and I find that extremely powerful. After reading this book, my opinions have changed on her outlook. This was a very well written biography. ( )

I read this book and found it extremely informative. As a classroom teacher I truly appreciate the research this author did on Michelle's heritage. Showing the connections to the First Lady and her slave ancestors provides minority readers with a realistic vision of hopefulness.

6. Personal Response: This book is for ages 8-12, but it is super dry for the most part. Pieced together from secondhand information gathered from interviews with Michelle and her acquaintances, this book lacks life and energy.
7. Connections: I’d like to use this in a comparison of biographies of Michelle Obama for kids. I’m sure there are a few out there. Kids could utilize a Venn Diagram to show strengths and weaknesses of each. ( )