Reviews for Imogene's Last Stand

The average rating for Imogene's Last Stand based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-11-03 00:00:00 Michael Banks That Imogene, she's going to grow up Geek Like Me. She loves history and she loves her country, and in the process of saving her beloved local historical society from the wrecking ball, she demonstrates all the best protest strategies - gradually raising community awareness of her issue via public speech, canvassing, leafletting, a rally, and finally a sit-in. All the while she spouts her favorite quotes from American history, from "Balderdash" (Teddy Roosevelt) to "Ain't nobody comin'" (Davy Crockett). Unfortunately, all her efforts come to naught. Despite the public attention garnered by her passive resistance on demolition day, the mayor is set to let the bulldozers roll as soon as Imogene leaves the porch of the historical society. It is only through the intervention of the local (adult) historian, as well as the President of the United States (!), who arrives with a plaque, that the society is saved. Granted, the historian had been contacted by Imogene when she discovered evidence that George Washington had slept at the house, but... no. Instead of showing kids that they themselves, through hard work, perseverence and peaceful dissent, can effect change in their communities, the book is saying that if you really want to get something done, you're going to have to call in a grownup, and the most highly-ranked grownup you can find. What a waste.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-26 00:00:00 John Burrill This is a fun (and somewhat cautionary tale) about preserving history and celebrating the lives of those who have gone before us. It's humorous and I love how Imogene uses quotes from famous people to make her point. The illustrations are terrific and we really enjoyed reading this book together. I love it when we can sneak a little history lesson into a story! And I love that it depicts the President as a woman of color.