Close Calls: How Eleven US Presidents Escaped from the Brink of Death

by Michael P. Spradlin

Historians tell the stories of tragic and untimely presidential deaths, but often forgotten are the near misses. JFK and his fellow servicemen spent six days on a desert island with only coconuts to eat after a deadly attack during WWII. Abe Lincoln was forced to take a train trip in disguise while America's first female detective worked to foil an early assassination attempt. And when Andrew Jackson was attacked by an upset citizen who had been stalking him for months, frontiersman Davey Crockett was the one to save him. With pacy, immediate writing and including supplemental archival photographs and archival materials, this book chronicles thrilling undertold stories of U.S. presidents' moments of bravery.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Presidents, Middle Grade, Childrens, Survival

128 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nonfic book for kids that will definitely be enjoyable for adults as well. Each chapter gives behind the scenes info one of our presidents and how they survived one or more attempts on their life. Not all of them happened while they were in office, but all give glimpses of the character each possessed. Who knew the lengths that Lincoln went to to sneak back into the capital? Or the athleticisim of Gerald Ford that saved him from falling into the ocean during a typhoon? And you will also discover when the Secret Service procedures were refined after an attack at the Blair House. The sidebars included in each chapter lend additional depth. Irreverent in tone making it accessible and current for 3rd grade and up.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The eleven quick chapters share the stories of eleven of our presidents that escaped death- some before their presidency (usually while serving in the military) or as presidents usually from an assassination attempt.

Each story is presented evenly and focused without much additional historical context, just the basics, but is useful in understanding the terror people inflict on people like presidents because of mental illness and political issues. As for those that were under military service- appreciating that service and knowing how harrowing it is.

It was a fulfilling nonfiction read.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Michael P. Sprawling for my copy of this book. It will have a great home on the nonfiction shelf in my classroom. This book is filled with near misses and moments of unbelievable bravery. I like how each story contained fact boxes with tidbits of information. The book is easy to read and was well researched. I know my students are going to love reading about the heroic deeds of US presidents.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for the review copy of Close Calls: How Eleven U.S. Presidents Escaped from the Brink of Death. This book will be released on January 7, 2020. All opinions are my own.

We're all aware of the presidents who have met tragic fates. However, few of us probably know about the many close calls our former presidents have also faced. Spradlin recalls the close calls faced by 11 U.S. presidents. These close calls include both assassination attempts and near-death war experiences. Some of these occurred during their presidencies while others occurred before they became president.

I found this book to be extremely interesting. I learned about the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy in school, but I wasn't aware of how many other presidents had survived assassination attempts or that Lincoln survived an assassination attempt before the one that ended up killing him. This book is told in chronological order and I enjoyed the fact that Spradlin also included sidebars providing additional information on topics related to the close call. For example, I learned about the life of Davy Crockett. I had no clue that he was a congressman and that he helped to thwart an assassination attempt on President Jackson. I also didn't know that Teddy Roosevelt was shot and then proceeded to deliver a 90 minute speech before seeking medical attention. These stories were completely enthralling. The narrative voice was easy to fall into, and I think this is a perfect nonfiction book for middle grade readers. The title will draw their initial attention and the narrative voice will hook them. I hope to get a copy of this for my classroom library in the new year.

[JoLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his new book, Michael P. Spradlin recounts for young readers the stories of how eleven U.S. presidents faced death and lived.

Spradlin's book shares not only the close calls these men faced while serving as president, but also the close calls they encountered prior to their presidential terms. For example, he starts the book with the assassination attempts on General George Washington's life during the Revolutionary War, and he also tells the story of how Ronald Reagan was shot while serving as president.

There were some really harrowing and fascinating stories in this book. I liked the chapter on Abraham Lincoln's dangerous trip to capital. Several of the chapters dealt with the near misses of the presidents who served in World War II, including John F. Kennedy's epic swim to save his marooned men after their ship was sunk, and George H.W. Bush's rescue after being shot down over the Pacific.

This book is a short and quick read, coming in at just over 100 pages. I think it will appeal to young readers who are interested in history and stories of survival.

Review copy from NetGalley.

[Sally Kruger]

A few presidents have been assassinated, but did you know a number of others barely escaped death? Author Michael P. Spradlin has written about presidents who almost died before or while in office. This well-researched book titled CLOSE CALLS features detailed descriptions of each incident as well as side pieces about other little known historical facts.

George Washington almost wasn't our nation's first president. He escaped a plot to kill him involving poisoned peas. Harry S. Truman avoided death twice. Once involved a shoot out he watched from the White House, and the other threat came from a letter bomb intercepted in the mailroom.

Many probably know about John F. Kennedy's near death experience on PT-109, but most readers probably don't know about the history of PT boats and their role in WWII. George H. W. Bush, the youngest pilot in the U.S. Navy also barely escaped death in WWII.

All in all, Spradlin writes about eleven presidents who some believe may have cheated death. This new release is packed with historical information written in an entertaining style. It's perfect for any young history buffs and perfect for making history come alive in a classroom setting, definitely a great addition to library and classroom collections.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc provided by the publisher for an honest review.

I loved the topic of this quick 100pg middle
Grade nonfiction book. That said, it felt like they were stretching to fill content in the earlier chapters (later chapters had more interviews, witnesses, and primary documents to pull from to better flesh out a story).
This is an unfinished copy, so I hope they figure out the format of the side stories/where to put the minutes box story amidst the near death experience. It was weird to read a side story that Davy Crockett talked about his later life and he died at the Alamo, before we heard about this role saving the president. Jimmy Carter’s story was interesting but needed more filling out.
Why didn’t they include Gerald Ford’s 2 near assassinations; they only included him almost going overboard. Good potential, but. Need more
Flesh in out.

[Lynndell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating information about our country's past presidents!
Thanks to NetGalley And Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Close Calls by Michael P. Spradlin.
A collection of short stories describes how eleven of past United States presidents escaped “from the brink of death”. The book begins with the threats to George Washington and continues throughout the centuries to the first President Bush. It seems that we learn about the assassinations only but never the attempts that aren’t successful or the other dangers presidents have been in. I never realized that JFK almost died in a boat crash while serving during World War II just as I hadn’t realized how many death threats President Lincoln received. Fascinating information and snippets of facts sprinkled throughout the book make it an interesting nonfiction read. 5 stars!

[Linda Wolfe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the author wrote factually and with humor, I had to plod through this one. My main complaint is the layout. While reading about an assassination attempt the text will stop mid-sentence and a highlighted aside (often more than a page) will appear. What does the young reader do? Skip the aside that is important to the context and turn the page or stop reading mid-sentence, read the aside, and then try to pick up where you left off? If I found this disconcerting as an adult reader, most students would also, especially ones who have any difficulty following text anyway. Too bad the designers really ruined this book.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found a couple of factual errors in my copy of the book. I wouldn't normally be so picky, but as this is a work of nonfiction, I think it's important to be accurate on things, even if they are trivial.

On page 48, it states that Oscar Collazo, who had attempted to assassinate Harry Truman, had his prison sentence commuted in 1994 by President Carter. The date was actually 1979.

On page 54, the book states that Operation Greif, the WWII mission that sent disguised German soldiers into American lines to spread misinformation (and to possibly kill General Eisenhower) occurred in December of 1945. The mission actually took place in December, 1944.

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children's nonfiction book looks at how 11 US Presidents nearly lost their lives. A couple look at failed assassination/kidnapping attempts while they were presidents: Andrew Jackson, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, but the others look when these men were in the military, especially during WWII. As a presidential and US history buff I didn't know some of these incidents. This book would be engaging to young readers grade 4-6 who like history and do not like long history books. This one runs a little over a hundred pages. Each chapter is short and even reluctant readers may enjoy this one as well.

[Patti Sabik · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Close Calls" by Spradlin is a fascinating read about the near death experiences of 11 US Presidents. Whether assassination attempts, wartime escapades, nuclear reactor repair...this book has some really amazing and interesting stories. It is a quick read and the length is great (just a little over 100 pages) for middle schoolers. The events tell of acts of heroism and courage and offer insight into these historic personalities that most young people don't know. Very well done.

[JL Salty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a minor annoyance, but the sidebars interrupting the main text drove me nuts. Surely some kind of layout could have been found to make breaks at sections or at least paragraphs?
This quick snapshot of very specific events in the mixes of 11 presidents was interesting but a little disjointed, disconnected, to me. Might be interesting fir a kid reading g everything possible on the lives of presidents
Upper elementary and jh fine.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories of 11 Presidents before and/or during the presidency.

George Washington: (2) Hickey plot and the Mulligan Save.
Andrew Jackson: Two misfires.
Abraham Lincoln: the Baltimore bottleneck.
Teddy Roosevelt: Teddy’s speech.
Harry Truman: Puerto Rico.
General Dwight Eisenhower: Nazis.
John F Kennedy: PT-109.
Gerald Ford: Typhoon.
James Carter: radiation.
Ronald Reagan: Hinckley.
George Bush: Pacific life boat.

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This was a quick, informative read. The author gives overviews about eleven presidents’ brushes with death: assassination attempts, war battles, and more. At under 100 pages, this is great for nonfiction fans who enjoy history. The writing style is laid back, which will appeal to middle school readers.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, interesting read. In short chapters, the author shares stories about eleven different presidents and their lesser-known brushes with death. The writing style is engaging, not dry, and brings the episodes to life. A great peek into American History that will appeal to fans of non-fiction, military books, and reluctant readers. A perfect July 4th read!

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though written for kids, this book is fun for grownups too. This book chronicles brushes with death eleven presidents had both before or after they were elected. There is a mixed bag, including war heroics and assassination attempts. However, the author writes books for adults too. His charming style and natural wit make history fun.

[Anita Routh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting. It is written about 5th - 6th grade level but it has enough information, a lot I did not know, to keep an adult interested.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short chapters on interesting events.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven brushes with death. Not all were assassination attempts.
I will be bringing this as one of my bookmarks on a visit to a 7th grade classroom next week.

[Alyssa Harvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. As short as this book is, the writing was so awful that it was unbearable to finish.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and interesting read, good for middle schoolers looking for action and true adventure. Didn't like how some of the text boxes cut into the narrative, sometimes in the middle of a sentence.