Joe Rhatigan

I was excited to get this book as an Early Reviewer selection. I'm very interested in Presidential history, and although this book is geared for kids, I learned a lot about the kids who have lived in the White House. I'm also excited to share this book with my boys, who at ages 8 and 11, are the perfect audience for this book.

This book covers everything from Presidential pets to the games that Presidential kids played. Did you know that the White House has 32 bathrooms? Or that Lincoln's show more kids invited Cabinet members and White House staff to a circus in the attic, charging five cents admission? Or that Teddy Roosevelt's youngest son put a pony in the White House elevator? Life in the White House comes to life through the stories that are shared in this book. The interesting facts will keep kids reading. The format of the book - lots of short anecdotes grouped into similar categories - is a style that my kids enjoy. The stories are accompanied with lots of pictures. Even kids who aren't history buffs are likely to find themselves drawn in by White House Kids. show less

I really liked this book, particularly how it was arranged by themes not by family. Not only did it save the authors trying to write about the children that there is little information about (or the family that was only there a few months), but it helped to focus on what life could be like in the White House, not on the specific families that stayed there. It was interesting how the author described the lives of not only on the children (even some adult children) of Presidents, but also the show more grandchildren and other relatives. I also appreciated the glimpses of how the White House has changed: from the first families who didn't live there to the later families who are unable to escape the glare of cameras and presence of bodyguards. I think I read the entire book in one sitting -- very rare for a non-fiction -- and cannot wait to share it with others. show less

Rating this is difficult because this is a children's book and I'm an adult, but I almost think this book would be more interesting to parents, especially those interested in history, than children. Some aspects, such as assassinations, would be challenging for children, and many of the quotes and reflections of former White House kids are from an adult point of view. While I was interested in the children's adult lives, I doubt most kids would be. On the other hand, the format, with lots of show more short tidbits, would be appealing for children (and to adults). Set in a somewhat different format, this might be most appropriately a teen/YA book. I'd recommend all photographs instead of the illustrations which seem a little hokey. (Incidentally, the print is also quite small for juvenile non-fiction.)

All in all, this is quite entertaining, with great anecdotes and quotes. I was amazed at how active some of the kids (and presidents) were and at the White House life in general. I appreciated the kids' reflections on the challenges of being a child of the highly criticized person living in the White House. show less

Good book for encouraging creative writing -- and sometimes using scrap materials as well. It encourages thinking about "writing" and "publishing" in a very expanded way, from many unexpected angles, and as such would be an absolute blessing to a homeschooling parent, or to a child (and the parent of that child) who likes to write to encourage them to share their writing in many different ways and not to get stuck on "I have to write a novel/a poem/whatever or it doesn't count". It could show more also be a fabulous help to a middle-grades teacher who wants to encourage thinking, writing, and artwork among students. Some of these could become THE project that a child remembers for years. You never know what will change someone's life, but this has a certain amount of potential for it. show less