It's Up to You, Abe Lincoln

by Tom Hirschfeld, Leila Hirschfeld, Lisa K. Weber (Illustrator)

History gets hilarious in this interactive Abraham Lincoln biography that will have readers laughing while they learn. Perfect for readers of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents of all time. But what did it take to rise from frontier poverty? To lead his country through the Civil War? To alter the course of history forever?

Father-daughter team Tom and Leila Hirschfeld's tongue-in-cheek biography series explores ten crucial decisions in the amazing lives of America's history-makers. With over one hundred pieces of archival and original art, fun facts, sidebars, historical trivia, and more, this book follows the close calls that defined leadership and shaped America as we know it today in It's Up to You, Abe Lincoln and It's Up to You, Ben Franklin!

Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!

Genres: History, Biography, Middle Grade, Politics, Nonfiction, Presidents

304 pages, Hardcover

Published December 4, 2018

About the author

Tom Hirschfeld is a New York Times bestselling author. His books include "It's Up to You, Abe Lincoln" (2018, with his daughter Leila Hirschfeld), "Business Dad: How Good Businessmen Can Make Great Fathers (and Vice Versa)" (1999, with his wife Julie Hirschfeld), "How to Master Home Video Games" (1982), and "How to Master the Video Games" (1981). After a three-decade business career, he is now writing full time. He lives in New York with his family and Flash, the Wonder Frog.

Reviews

[Gunnar Coleman]

Its a good book with real events about abe lincoln and how he was raized as a kid.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relying on second-person point of view so that the authors seem to be addressing the subject of this unique biography, this book provides insight into the great man's decisions throughout life. It's clear from the details included here that the authors admire Abraham Lincoln and that they have researched his background as well as the time period during which he lived. Lincoln is a great choice for this series since he grew up poor, had little formal education and was not well connected politically and served his country at one of its most challenging points--the Civil War--when the nation was divided. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned for the current generation or those in power right now from his choices. The book focuses on ten pivotal moments in Lincoln's life where he was faced with choices that would lead him down various paths. While most of them relate to political issues such as the Emancipation Proclamation or what steps to take in finishing the war, others relate to his character as he needed to decide what to do about paying his debts and whether to pursue Mary Todd as his future wife. Each dilemma is presented with background as well as four choices, the decision he actually made ("The Reveal"), and then a discussion of what happened next or the results of his decision ("The Aftermath"). Written with understanding and humor, this book will satisfy even the most avid Abe Lincoln fans as well as helping others gain a new appreciation for him. There are several sidebars and archival photographs that add even more to the book, making it worth reading for adults as well. This one would find a place in my social studies class if I were still teaching fifth, sixth, or seventh grade history.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors have created a unique way to address complex topics in history and make them accessible for readers in grades 4-6. Each chapter poses a decision Abraham Lincoln had to make, and the ensuing text is written in the second person, as if the reader is making the decisions. Each chapter concludes with multiple choice options, explaining the paths that Lincoln could have taken and allowing the reader to choose one, and ends by describing The Reveal (Lincoln’s actual choice) and The Aftermath. The book is conversational (even colloquial) in tone. Readers will appreciate the humor throughout the text and the funny speech bubbles that have been added to many of the photographs. Also included are asides with further information or definitions, quotes, and interesting historical documents such as recipes (p. 56) and Lincoln’s patent (p. 74); all of these additions break up the text so that it is not so cumbersome for the young reader. The authors also provide the larger historical context, such as the information provided on cockroaches and housekeeping on page 56, and do a great job of explaining politics in plain language (p. 101), but the level of detail may cause some readers to become bored, in spite of all the humor. This reviewer hopes more volumes will be added to create a new series.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for IT’S UP TO YOU, ABE LINCOLN, the first in a series by the father-daughter pair.
.
〰️
〰️
This biography examines ten big decisions Abe Lincoln made in his life and argues that his choices are what made him such a fantastic president. Written in 2nd person, giving the reader the chance to be in Lincoln's shoes, each chapter ends with a question and four options for action -- which choice will you make? Then the book goes on to share Lincoln's decision and the aftermath.
.
〰️
〰️
The book comes across as funny, while still imparting a lot of information in each chapter. "Didya know"s and "Fun fact"s are included throughout the book, as well as images of pertinent people, usually with speech bubbles saying something funny. Readers won't be able to help imagining what could have happened if Lincoln had made different choices and they will come away impressed by his honesty, dedication and practical nature.
.
〰️
〰️
The end of the book includes a timeline, a who's who, Lincoln's "historic firsts," jokes he played during his life, famous passages from his speeches and an extremely fun section that posits how Lincoln would react to various inventions from the last 150 years (he would love texting and emojis).
.
〰️
〰️
Overall, this is a highly readable, very funny biography that belongs on all elementary and middle school shelves. Given that there are already lots of Lincoln biographies out there for this age group, that's high praise. I can't wait to see the rest of the books in the series!
.
〰️
〰️
#librariansofinstagram #librariesofinstagram #bookstagram #books #abrahamlincoln #biography #bookreview #nonfiction #mglit #mgbooks

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting look at Lincoln's life and the choices he made that impacted his success and the outcome of his presidency and the Civil War. Perhaps a bit above the reading level it seems to be aimed at but that only makes it more educational (and I think Abe himself would have appreciated the fact that it may force those reading it to stretch their reading skills and vocabulary).

[Mellye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic interactive format! This biography is engaging, fun and the right amount of information to get an idea on who Abraham Lincoln was, on a personal, professional and political level. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it is released.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovative and interactive! Such a fun and informative read.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so many new facts about Abe! The interactive format made the book a fun page-turner.

[Lonelystar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about Abe Lincoln. I found this in the childrens section of the library, but its good for adults too.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not a fan of the writing style nor the piece related to the killing of an Indian.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining biography of Abraham Lincoln highlights the importance of daily decisions. The humorous presentation and numerous illustrations encourage the reader in to participate in ten decisions that Abe made, what his options were, and the consequence of each on his way to changing American history. Reviewer #18

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading nonfiction aimed towards children and teens. This is a great example- I learned a lot and the formatting (illustrations and text) helps me retain the information.