White House Clubhouse by Sean O'Brien

What worked:

The kids of all presidents in history have formed a club using a secret room in the White House as their base. Marissa and her younger sister Clara accidentally find the room and discover it has many different doors to choose from. The one they select transports them back to the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt and they learn they can’t return to the present until they complete some type of quest. Marissa realizes it must involve a two-thousand-year-old giant sequoia tree in California that will soon be cut down. The girls set out on a cross-country adventure to save Steeple Giant and possibly convince President Roosevelt that it's important to preserve nature for future generations.

Passenger jets hadn’t been invented yet so most of the story takes place on the president’s private train as it travels from Washington to California. Two of Roosevelt’s kids help Marissa and Clara sneak aboard so avoiding discovery by the security team is a constant challenge. They find themselves hiding or investigating all over the train including the caboose, dining car, press car, and even the steam engine. The train makes stops at cities all across the country where the president makes quick speeches to patriotic citizens. The reporters don’t pay much attention since he says the same thing every time. However, Roosevelt starts adding new phrases at some stops and the newspapermen want to find out why. Marissa and Clara may have something to do with that but they know time is running out to save Steeple Giant.

The author incorporates historical elements into the plot that will help young readers experience the way the United States used to be. At the end of the book, the author shares which parts of the story are based on actual events. He includes quotations from Roosevelt’s speeches in the story’s dialogue and the president’s love of nature is featured. He’s responsible for many national parks, forests, and preserves throughout the states with some of them mentioned in the narrative. Apparently, it wasn’t unusual to see a pony, badger, and guinea pigs inside the White House since his children shared his adventurous, mischievous spirit. On the other hand, the book points out how lobbyists constantly try to influence the president’s policies and the ongoing conflict between business and nature.

What didn’t work as well:

The plot features many chase scenes with the kids fleeing in, on, and around the train. Their daring escapes sometimes feel impossible and seem to require superpowers or superior athletic abilities. These scenes are exciting but don’t fit in a historically-accurate story from 1903.

The Final Verdict:

The book takes readers in unexpected directions as Marissa and her sister navigate the world of politics and adventure. Saving Steeple Giant is the focus but unexpected characters arise to add twists to the story. Overall, this book is thought-provoking and entertaining and I recommend you give it a shot.