The President's Daughter
The President’s Daughter. Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker
Delacorte Press, 2004
Grade Level : 3-5
ISBN : 0-385-73147-7
Cost : $16.87
Author information :
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley studied chemistry in college but was talked into taking a children’s literature class with a friend. The teacher, Patricia MacLachlan, influenced her to write her first book. For more information see: kimberlybrubakerbradley.com or www.booknutsreadingclub.com/kimberlybrubakerbradley.html
Synopsis :
This is the story of Ethel Roosevelt, who was ten years old when her father Theodore Roosevelt became president. The family livens up the White House with pets, skating in the basement, biking in the gardens, horseback rides, and “scrambles” throughout the neighboring parks. Ethel must stay away during the week at boarding school where no one seems to like her. Her older sister shares her secret for making friends, a secret which Ethel realizes she already had learned from her father.
General Review :
This is a fascinating story describing Ethel’s life as a boarder at the National Cathedral School and her weekends at home at the White House. Students who enjoy history and presidential stories will be greatly entertained by all the information that is presented about the Roosevelt family.
Discussion Questions : ( Standard 3 Benchmark 3)
1. What makes a friend? Would you have been Ethel’s friend?
2. Do people who are in the public eye need to behave differently than
people like you and me? Do we expect them to behave differently?
3. This book is historical fiction. What parts are fiction and what parts
are history?
Activity Suggestions:
1. Research events of President Theodore Roosevelt’s life and perform a classroom skit based on the information.
(Standard 3, Benchmark 4)
2. Create a diorama of the Roosevelt family.
(Standard 5, Benchmark 3)
3. Students work in cooperative groups to create a timeline of Theodore Roosevelt’s life. (Standard 9, Benchmark 1)
Research Washington, D.C. and create brochures of places to visit there. (Standard 1, Benchmark 3, Standard 5, Benchmark 3)
Find out more about the Roosevelt family using the following sites:
