February 10, 2005

What if?  is the question that begins each Monday in Mr. Caruthers third-grade class.  Abigail and her friends love Mondays because they get to imagine what would have happened if famous figures in history hadn’t done the important things they did.  This particular Monday, Mr. Caruthers asks his class what would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had quit and not issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  After class, Abigail and three of her friends discover that this is not a hypothetical question - Mr. Caruthers has been to the past, trying to convince President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, but he wouldn’t listen.  Mr. Caruthers shows the four students a device that looks like a large Game Boy along with a cartridge, which will take them back in time to save history.  They will only have two hours and they must succeed or the world as they know it will be changed forever.

When the children journey to the past, they see the world of 1862 and how different it was from their time.  They meet several famous figures from history before finally meeting President Lincoln.  When they cannot convince him that the North will win the war, they end up taking him back to the future so that he can see how important it is that he issues the Emancipation Proclamation.

Readers who like the Magic Tree House series will enjoy this series as well.  It is apparent that the authors have spent time researching their subject and they spoon out the historical information in a painless and enjoyable fashion.  The back of the book contains the text of The Emancipation Proclamation as well as more historical information, which enhances the story.  The next book in the series is called: Disney’s Dream with the question, What if Walt Disney never?  For the question and the answer, you’ll have to wait for Book 2 of this fun and educational series.