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Blast to the Past #1
Lincoln's Legacy
Third graders travel through time to keep history on track Abigail loves Mondays, and so does the rest of class 305. That's the day Mr. Caruthers asks them cool questions about history. Today Mr. C asks, "What if Abraham Lincoln never freed the slaves?" Abigail and her friends are ready to put their thinking caps on. But this time Mr. C wants them to do more than put their heads together-he wants them to travel back in time
Turns out the "What If?" questions are real, and Mr. C has just come back from a visit to the past. He needs their help because it looks like President Lincoln might quit and never free the slaves With a time-travel gadget and only two hours to spare, Abigail and her friends are going back to the past. But even though time traveling isn't hard, convincing Abraham Lincoln not to give up isn't going to be easy....
With a dollop of "The Magic Tree House, " a dash of "Back to the Future, " and pinch of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, ""Blast to the Past" is a recipe for fun
Turns out the "What If?" questions are real, and Mr. C has just come back from a visit to the past. He needs their help because it looks like President Lincoln might quit and never free the slaves With a time-travel gadget and only two hours to spare, Abigail and her friends are going back to the past. But even though time traveling isn't hard, convincing Abraham Lincoln not to give up isn't going to be easy....
With a dollop of "The Magic Tree House, " a dash of "Back to the Future, " and pinch of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, ""Blast to the Past" is a recipe for fun
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
12 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 26, 2010
My 8 yr old daughter really liked this book. I started reading it at bedtime and she finished it on her own and asked for the next one right away. There are only 4 characters that do the adventuring in a time travel quest, similar to the Magic Treehouse series. She has read many of the Magic Treehouse books and says that this book had more facts and was more exciting. The ladies who write the Magic Treehouse books do a lot of research but i think they have to water their info way down for the mass book market. This book gives the reader a little more credit.
A teacher gives his class a "what if" question in the beginning of the book and the adventurers seek out a solution by traveling to the past using a special handheld computer device. Lincoln's Legacy is what if President Lincoln quit and didn't issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
For good historical fiction the My Name is America series, My America, and Royal Diaries series are good. There are enough facts and a sense of immediacy that puts the reader in the time period and provides historical details that gives the young reader a better sense of how events affected people living at that time than the more watered down Magic Treehouse series. But they are also for the upper elementary/intermediate school reader. Good read alouds for a younger reader learning about those time periods. Mary Pope Osbourne wrote one or more of the My America books and she did a wonderful job filling in details and emotional investment that she couldn't use in the MT series geared toward younger readers.
A teacher gives his class a "what if" question in the beginning of the book and the adventurers seek out a solution by traveling to the past using a special handheld computer device. Lincoln's Legacy is what if President Lincoln quit and didn't issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
For good historical fiction the My Name is America series, My America, and Royal Diaries series are good. There are enough facts and a sense of immediacy that puts the reader in the time period and provides historical details that gives the young reader a better sense of how events affected people living at that time than the more watered down Magic Treehouse series. But they are also for the upper elementary/intermediate school reader. Good read alouds for a younger reader learning about those time periods. Mary Pope Osbourne wrote one or more of the My America books and she did a wonderful job filling in details and emotional investment that she couldn't use in the MT series geared toward younger readers.
September 22, 2021
My rating is very unfair for this. Lincoln's Legacy should really be a three-star book, but I am so far removed from the target audience that I did not enjoy this in the slightest. It's another book I had to read for work. Not only does this genre (historical fiction) not interest me, it's also a way lower reading level than I'm used to. This is a very simple chapter book for very early readers.
Lincoln's Legacy is probably a perfect book for kids who are interested in American history or Abraham Lincoln, though I wouldn't say that very much about it stands out as unique or interesting. Not many fun or exciting things happen, in my opinion. The characters are nothing more than names. It kind of reminded me of The Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series, (Except I would say this is slightly better,) in that its prose was very simple, it took like 20 minutes to read and it's packed of little nuggets of academic facts and information.
Like I said, this book is fine. Just nothing special. However--it is extremely strange that I happen to be reading this book on September 22nd, the exact day that Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which is the subject of this book.
Weird.
Lincoln's Legacy is probably a perfect book for kids who are interested in American history or Abraham Lincoln, though I wouldn't say that very much about it stands out as unique or interesting. Not many fun or exciting things happen, in my opinion. The characters are nothing more than names. It kind of reminded me of The Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series, (Except I would say this is slightly better,) in that its prose was very simple, it took like 20 minutes to read and it's packed of little nuggets of academic facts and information.
Like I said, this book is fine. Just nothing special. However--it is extremely strange that I happen to be reading this book on September 22nd, the exact day that Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which is the subject of this book.
Weird.
March 23, 2019
This would be a good book for young readers. It reminds me of magic tree house books. I loved all the historical facts at the end of the book that tied into the story.
December 25, 2022
This is such a cute idea for a series, and I had a lot of fun reading this.
March 7, 2011
We enjoyed this first book in the Blast to the the Past series. It appears that there are only eight books in this series, with the last one published in 2007, so I do not know if there will be more. But so far we are intrigued. The concept is a bit like the Time Warp Trio series, with green fog and everything, but it's a bit more directed (with a teacher telling them a specific objective) and it's a coed group, so ideally it should appeal to both boys and girls. I like the historical background to the story and it was a perfect opportunity to read the Gettysburg Address to our girls (I read parts of the Emancipation Proclamation, too, but it wasn't nearly as eloquent.) In any case, I love that both were printed at the end of the book, with a reprint of the painting of the historical first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. It helps when you can put a face to a name.
The story overall was a bit goofy, but it was fun and educational and had just the right amount of suspence and action to keep our girls entertained. I like these series, as they put a little fun into learning about history. I wish they were around when I was young! We will certainly read the next one soon.
The story overall was a bit goofy, but it was fun and educational and had just the right amount of suspence and action to keep our girls entertained. I like these series, as they put a little fun into learning about history. I wish they were around when I was young! We will certainly read the next one soon.
November 21, 2012
A middle school time travelling through history, book. Similar to one I read just before it, and yet not so similar.
How cute is that cover, right?
Every Monday, the teacher asks his class a "What if..?" question and they ponder what the world would be like if a historic event never happened.
In this case what if Lincoln quit as President and never issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
A teacher hand picks students from his class and then sends them back in time to convince Lincoln not to quit and undo the world as we know it.
The "What if..? questions give them something to think about. While the actual adventure the students go on gives the reader a fun (and often funny) story. Complete with history facts along the way.
Have to say loved it.
It was a great book for young readers.
The mood of the book is light and fun yet very engaging. It's a fast read I got through it in one sitting.
The characters were cute and definitely like able.
However, my favourite part about this book was definitely the "What if" questions.
I loved this book and would absolutely recommend it to teachers and parents of young readers.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
How cute is that cover, right?
Every Monday, the teacher asks his class a "What if..?" question and they ponder what the world would be like if a historic event never happened.
In this case what if Lincoln quit as President and never issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
A teacher hand picks students from his class and then sends them back in time to convince Lincoln not to quit and undo the world as we know it.
The "What if..? questions give them something to think about. While the actual adventure the students go on gives the reader a fun (and often funny) story. Complete with history facts along the way.
Have to say loved it.
It was a great book for young readers.
The mood of the book is light and fun yet very engaging. It's a fast read I got through it in one sitting.
The characters were cute and definitely like able.
However, my favourite part about this book was definitely the "What if" questions.
I loved this book and would absolutely recommend it to teachers and parents of young readers.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
February 9, 2017
It was a nice introduction to historical fiction with a bit of sci-fi (the time travel aspect of the book) which also gets readers to think about what our world would be like if important and/or influential people of their time stopped believing in their passions and causes due to the obstacles they had faced. I would recommend this book to my students. I might consider reading the rest of the books in the series in the future as this book does provide some kind of inspiration and reminder to keep sight of your goals, hopes and dreams no matter the odd.
December 21, 2012
I read this book myself and then my 9 year old stepson read it. We both absolutely loved it. He said he already knew that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves but he did learn somethings from this book. One of the things he didn't know before reading this was that they sent telegrams back then. He thought it was really good and a lot of fun to read.
The story is about a group of third graders who are asked by their teacher "What if Abraham Lincoln never freed the slaves." The group is then blasted to the past because Lincoln is going to quit and the slaves will not be freed and the children are needed to persuade him to not give up. The downside is that they only have 2 hours to accomplish this. Will they be able to do it or will history be forever changed?
This book is a lot of fun to read and there is a little history thrown in there as well which is always good. It's nice when you're children can read a book, enjoy it, and still learn a thing or two from it. I would highly recommend this book and I would absolutely love to read the other books in this series!
The story is about a group of third graders who are asked by their teacher "What if Abraham Lincoln never freed the slaves." The group is then blasted to the past because Lincoln is going to quit and the slaves will not be freed and the children are needed to persuade him to not give up. The downside is that they only have 2 hours to accomplish this. Will they be able to do it or will history be forever changed?
This book is a lot of fun to read and there is a little history thrown in there as well which is always good. It's nice when you're children can read a book, enjoy it, and still learn a thing or two from it. I would highly recommend this book and I would absolutely love to read the other books in this series!
April 26, 2015
I thought the book was awesome even if the cover of the book makes it look boring, it is actually is pretty good. Like people say, don't judge a book by it's cover. This book is really good. I just can't wait for the next book that comes right after this one. Just reading the first book tells that I'm going to love it. Bo, Zack, Jacob, and Abigail are told to come after school, because their teacher told them. They will travel through time to the past to save the world sort of. In this book they will go to Abraham Lincoln to convince him to still be president. So every Monday the "team" will go through time to change history. In order to find out what happens next, you have to read the book,, because I'm not going to tell you what happens. I would recommend this book to people who love science fiction with not so much historical fiction. Pure five star rating for me. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Happy reading!
November 1, 2015
The book is great for teaching upper elementary students about President Abraham Lincoln and the causes that lead to the U.S. Civil War. Topics were appropriate: identity, rights, and idealism. Upper elementary students learn how the South formed their own government based on beliefs of states rights'. The other perspective equally important, how President Lincoln preserved the union with the belief that all states belong to our union and that slavery is immoral. Lincoln's Legacy questioned "what if Lincoln quit?" Students in the classroom examined this topic with different point-of-view.
February 24, 2014
I read this book after Mallory did and finished it in about 20 minutes so a really quick read. It is the first in a series of kids books about time traveling in the past to help a famous historical figure. 4 3rd graders travel to 1862 to stop Lincoln from resigning after their teacher couldn't help. Why the kids could do this and not the adult I don't know. I want to read the next book because it's about Walt Disney but I don't need to read anymore in this series.
June 17, 2011
The second book in this series was recommended to me, but I figured I had better start with the first. It wasn't earth shatteringly great, but good enough to seek out the other books in the series. The story is filled with interesting facts, and would help elementary children learn more about Lincoln and his presidency, without being overbearing. I would recommend as a fun history read.
May 7, 2012
I read this aloud to my boys and they enjoyed the silly time-traveling story mixed with a bit of history. The "history" part is not very extensive, but it was still enough to let them know a bit more about who Abraham Lincoln was while they had fun hearing of the time-traveling kids' adventures.
October 4, 2013
It was a really interesting book and basically I really like how they describe what was happening. How Abigal Zack and Jacob how to go back to the past to convince Abraham Lincoln not to quit into freeing the slaves because their third grade teacher Mr. Caruthers could not do it.
February 28, 2015
It was cool.
May 19, 2016
Similar to magic treehouse.
May 5, 2014
Blast to the Past: Lincoln's Legacy. Not bad for a chapter book. Older edge of reading spectrum.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews