Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  In 1915, there were eleven national parks, but no service to administer them.  Assistant Secretary of the Interior Stephen Mather knew the country needed one, but couldn’t get through the Washington red tape to set it up.  To convince lawmakers, he organized a two-week camping trip through the mountains of California, and hired Tie Sing, a Chinese American trail cook reputed to be the best.  Tie Sing had his hands full, transporting and preparing such delicacies as frogs’ legs and Lyonnaise potatoes, and serving them on a table set with a tablecloth and fine china.  Along the way, he lost a couple of mules packed with supplies and food, and often had to improvise.  He succeeded in keeping the campers well-fed and happy, though, and the National Parks Service will celebrate its 100^th birthday on August 25. Back matter includes more information about Tie Sing, the expedition, and several members of the party.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  A fascinating story about a little-known man; Pimentel and Lo have succeeded admirably in bringing to life someone about whom very little is known.  There’s a lot of text, but the story is so engaging that this would make an excellent read-aloud.  As someone who has camped all over the U.S. and Canada, I appreciated Stephen Mather’s philosophy: “Give a man a poor breakfast after he has had a bad night’s sleep and he will not care how fine your scenery is.”

Cons:  It’s my opinion that any activity that involves English plum pudding with brandy sauce, peaches and cream, and a heavy linen tablecloth cannot really be described as “camping”.

Published by Albert Whitman and Company

Summary:  When Kate Warne walked into the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1856, Allan Pinkerton had never considered hiring a woman to be a detective.  But Warne convinced him that women could go undercover in a variety of ways that men could not, and soon she was a valuable member of the world’s first detective agency.  She successfully worked on a number of cases, but her most famous was helping to thwart an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln as Lincoln traveled from Illinois to Washington, D.C. to begin his term as President.  Kate infiltrated the group that was planning to kill the President, and learned that they had vowed to not let him leave Baltimore alive.  She and other detectives from the agency worked all night to make sure Lincoln got safely through the city, onto Philadelphia, and finally to Washington.  An author’s note tells a bit more about Kate Warne’s life, although little is known; a brief bibliography is also included.  32 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Kate’s escapades make interesting and exciting reading, particularly given how difficult it was for women to have successful careers in her time.  The bright cartoon-like illustrations are appealing.  See last year’s The Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan for an entertaining fictional account of Warne’s life.

Cons:  It’s frustrating that Kate Warne’s early life is a complete unknown.