Chasing George Washington

by Ronald Kidd, Ard Hoyt (Illustrator)

What would it be like if you lived in the White House? Dee Dee, Jose, and Annie are about to find out! When their class takes a field trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the three accidentally knock George Washington out of his portrait and into real life, which turns their everyday tour into an unexpected adventure! As they try to get the nation's first President back into his painting, the kids come across other famous White House residents, including Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, Dolley Madison, and Jackie Kennedy. Through their madcap journey, they realize that the White House isn't just a tourist attraction--it's also a home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2009

About the author

Ronald Kidd is the author of thirteen novels for young readers, including the highly acclaimed “Night on Fire” and “Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial.” His novels of adventure, comedy, mystery, and American history have received the Children's Choice Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and honors from the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. He is a two-time O'Neill playwright who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dee, Jose, and Annie are three students from all different areas of the country who have the opportunity to tour the famous 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The tour is pretty boring until suddenly they knocked down the famous portrait of our first president, George Washington, and he falls out of the painting! The tour was not so boring anymore now that George Washington was the White House Tour guide and they go back in time to meet other famous White House residents such as Susan Ford, Jackie Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and more! Through all of their adventures, they learn an important lesson about the White House and the American people.

I enjoyed reading the ebook of the fantasy book found on the Database of Award Winning Children’s Literature. The book was told from the perspective of the three diverse main characters, Dee a rich African American from Atlanta, Jose a lower-middle-class Hispanic boy from LA, and Annie a Polish immigrant who lives in Missouri. Each chapter highlights the voice and actions of the different characters while it continues the storyline. With a traditional fantasy book, Annie is the character that mirrors the disbelief of the reader more so than the other characters. I enjoyed following along with the plot from each of their perspectives. I also enjoyed reading the forward written by Michelle Obama and perusing the timeline of the White House at the end of the book. The timeline can be very useful to readers as they try to understand the timeframe that these historical events were happening. The thing I liked least about the book was that the time slip was in reverse order. I found this aspect of the text hard to follow. Had the text started when George Washington was president and then went in chronological order I think the events would have been easier to follow and more informative for an elementary aged reader. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and could see it being a good addition to a classroom library in a 2nd-4th-grade classroom.

[Tweller83 · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/20/25: I did not really like this all that much. Lots of historical facts thrown in, which were interesting but I didn't like any of the characters and, even though this is written for a younger set, there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how they were traveling, how George got there (or got back) or anything else. This just wasn't for me and I won't be keeping it for the grandchild. Off it goes to a little free library where maybe someone in the actual target market will like it better.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a class field trip to The White House. Annie, Dee, and Jose are typical students from varied background: Poland, rich, Hispanic. During the tour of The White House, these three students knock George Washington's picture off the wall, bringing him back to life. He takes them on a tour to see momentous events in history: Lincoln, Jackie Kennedy, Dolly Madison, etc.

This story would be useful for second grade studying american icons as a read aloud. It could also be used for 4th or fifth grade as an introduction to presidential research, although more for entertainment value than substantial information.

I considered this for a 3rd grade book club, and I may still use it for that. At least one more book is available in the series: The Kennedy Center Presidents: Capital Kids.

[Kara Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book told the story of three modern day students touring the White House. They become very bored looking at antiques. They accidentally knock the very famous picture of George Washington over, and he comes out of the painting. George Washington takes these three students on an adventure in the White House going through different time periods and meeting several historically famous people. The book tells the history of the White House.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author added modern day humor that modern students can connect to. It makes learning history fun and relatable.
This book could be used in an elementary history class to explain the White House history.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was really cute. I like the way it gave a lot of White House/Presidential history and makes George Washington seem like a fun guy to hang out with. It's a good addition to the classroom library especially around Presidents' Day.

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute story with some fun facts thrown in. My only issue was that the three main characters were way too stereotypical. I understand that the authors want to appeal to kids from a variety if backgrounds, but how about some original characters?

[Meg Mirza · Rating 1 out of 5]

reviewed for SLJ

[Alexis Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this soooo much that I ended up purchasing the book for my future students library. I can’t wait to create lesson plans, year after year, that use this book as a guide/reference.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story about agree children who are given a tour of the White House by George Washington. There are many historical facts spread throughout the book.

[Brian H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun and informative. I didn't see anything objectionable in this book. Good connection to history/social studies, but it's more cotton candy than brain food.

[Liliana]

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[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.