Judith St. George (1931–2015)

It took me years to hunt down this book, which I vividly remembered reading in middle school. The super-duper unique title sure made this book easier to find after twenty years.

All that time I spent Googling weird strings of keywords (YA, Nazi, insulin, horror. Or: diabetes, cat, German, attack dog, book, ghost.) probably put me on some sort of watch list. But when I finally chanced upon the correct combination of words and recognized the bizarre cover I squealed. I immediately ordered a show more copy because the library didn't have it.

It was not as tense and horrifying as I remember, but not as puerile and silly as I feared. Actually, it wasn't half bad. Good enough to keep. Good enough to re-read again.

I just wanted everyone to know that if you, too, remember reading a book about a kid who house-sits a mansion where a murder/suicide took place and that there was something about Nazis and something about a white cat and something about insulin and something about an attack dog (or something), you are not hallucinating. You are thinking of Haunted by Judith St. George. You're welcome. show less

Monti C. Katrib
EDUC 417.006
Reading Log #9

So You Want to Be President?
Written by: Judith St. George
Illustrated by: David Small
Published by: Philomel Books, 2004

So You Want to Be President? , By Judith St. George was an amazingly informative and hilarious read. I enjoyed reading this book a lot, and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good laugh or lots of information about the United States presidents. One reason I really liked this book was the language. St. George did a show more really good job of balancing information and humor in her writing, making it accessible and informative to a wide range of people, especially kids. This book is written in second person, and appears to be directly addressed to kids, however it could be directed towards adults as well. Another reason why I really loved this book is because St. Bernard presents the presidents in a very relatable way; letting the readers know that they are all different, have different talents, interests, backgrounds, goals, families, etc. The facts mentioned in this book are very useful to know, especially because a lot of them are not mentioned in professional history textbooks in schools or colleges. These facts would be enjoyable and relatable to kids, and I really liked how St. Bernard mixed humor with facts. One example of this type of language can be found on page 27, “Theodore Roosevelt’s children didn’t just have pets, they ran a zoo. They had dogs, cats, guinea pigs, snakes, mice, rats, badgers, raccoons, parrots…” I think the message of this book was that no matter who you are, you could be anything you want, even president of the United States! This is a good message to send to little kids who have big imaginations and big dreams. show less

5 stars for the memory of this book in my preteen (?) years. I loved this book which really was my introduction to the women's rights movement. I felt very inspired by Josie--inspired to be independent as a woman and to be a working girl (both came true). It was a tough read in some ways, the violence. But it was necessary for the story. I recommend this for young women interested in the Woman's Rights Convention era of history. I enjoyed it as a story on its own: I still remember little show more details like the way she burnt the toast employed as a server girl and had to smear extra jam onto the burnt parts. That was a vivid picture for me: we all make mistakes and mistakes can be corrected.

TW: domestic violence show less

Illustrated by David Small

This picture book for young children tells some of the interesting tidbits about the American Presidents, from George Washington to Bill Clinton. The message is that almost anyone can be president – fat, thin, tall, short, born in a log cabin or a mansion, college graduate or struggled to learn to read, army general or tailor. There is an updated edition, that includes George W Bush, but even that one states all that all the presidents have been white men, and show more that no woman has even run for the office. (Although there is acknowledgement of Geraldine Ferraro’s historic run for Vice President.)

David Small’s illustrations earned the Caldecott medal. His near caricatures are fun and engaging, and he includes small details to delight both children and the adults who may be reading aloud. I loved Teddy Roosevelt playing with a train set on the floor, or Richard Nixon bowling, or the Presidential “band” with Bill Clinton on the sax, Chester Arthur on the banjo, and Thomas Jefferson on the violin.

I think I would probably rate this only three stars if it weren’t for the illustrations. Small’s drawings earned that extra star from me. show less