Imogene's Last Stand

October 5, 2009
Young history buffs will delight as tenacious heroine Imogene Tripp fights to save her town’s ramshackle historical society building and its contents. Prone to reciting the “immortal words” of famous historical figures, Imogene spruces up the museum only to discover it’s destined for the wrecking ball. Carpenter’s (My Uncle Emily
) lively pen and watercolor illustrations show Imogene’s attempts to rally support, as she distributes flyers from her father’s biplane and, in one scene, dramatically rides through the streets like Paul Revere shouting, “The bulldozers are coming!” (spot art humorously reveals her to be riding a stick pony). Endpapers feature portraits of and background about the original speakers of Imogene’s quotations, which will help novice historians put her words and actions in context. In spite of the fat-cat mayor with a name sure to elicit giggles and thanks to a lucky discovery, Imogene triumphs in a slightly over-the-top ending. Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum
) also succeeds at introducing a smattering of history while entertaining with a story about the importance of preserving it. Imogene’s passion and comedic perseverance inspire. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2009
K-Gr 2-Imogene is a feisty child who loves history and spouts quotes from famous people on all occasions. When she discovers the now-abandoned Historical Society building in her New Hampshire town, she cleans it up and opens it as a museum. No one comes. Then one morning she finds a sign posted outside the building stating that it will be torn down to make room for a shoelace factory. Imogene tries to enlist the aid of the mayor and other influential people, but they all say that the factory will put them on the map. At the last minute, she finds a letter in the museum that was written by George Washington to indicate that he had slept there. She notifies a historian and then puts herself in a stockade on the porch as the wrecking crew approaches. Soon the whole town turns out to watch the spectacle, and people tell her to move. "'In the immortal words of the Vietnam War protesters, ' she shouted, 'Heck no, I won't go!'" (There is no mention of the fact that the quote has been changed.) The President of the United States (an African-American woman) appears and declares the museum a national landmark. Illustrations done in pen-and-ink and digital media provide a lot of historical details and humor, featuring a determined child who rides in a sidecar on her father's motorcycle. This title could serve as a jumping-off place for some early elementary history lessons."Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Grades 1-3 Know any young activists? Thenintroduce them toImogene, a bespectacled fighter for the public good. Mostly, Imogene is obsessed with preserving items of historical importance, and when her beloved Liddleville Historical Society is scheduled for demolitionin favor of a shoelace factory!she becomes a one-girl army. Dressing up as Paul Revere and shouting famous lines from such figures as John Paul Jones (I have not yet begun to fight!) and Theodore Roosevelt (Balderdash!), Imogene covers the town in patriotic ribbons, air-drops fliers, and even chains herself to the Historical Society porch (Heck no, I wont go!). But it is a dusty old letter from George Washington that ends up getting the Society awarded national landmark status by the president of the United States herself (who, continuing the girl-power theme, is ablack woman). Flemings sense of small-town space is impeccable; Carpenters pen-and-ink art enjoyably scribbly; and the historical facts and quotes that bookend the story arejust the thing to get new Imogenes fired up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
In this energetic--and funny--girl-power story, young history buff Imogene Tripp saves the town's Historical Society building. Her act goes unnoticed until Mayor Butz decides to replace the structure with a shoelace factory. Quoting historical figures, Imogene begins her save-the-museum campaign. With a light touch, complemented by Carpenter's breezy illustrations, Fleming raises many issues, making room for a thoughtful discussion of history.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from November 1, 2009
Here's Imogene Tripp, young history buff and community activist. At Halloween she dresses up like Paul Revere; for show-and-tell she discusses Amelia Earhart and Sojourner Truth. Having learned our history well, Imogene resurrects the town's Historical Society building, an act that goes completely unnoticed until the powers that be decide to raze it to make way for a shoelace factory. Quoting historical figures ranging from Davy Crockett to Eleanor Roosevelt ("In the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, 'A great oak is only a little nut that held its ground'"), Imogene begins her save-the-museum campaign. And when Imogene discovers that George Washington slept there, the current president, smartly depicted as a black woman, finally saves the building. On one level, this girl-power story succeeds as an energetic -- and funny -- against-all-odds tale. But the narrative suggests more. Are there times when eminent domain works for the public good? What's the importance of these individuals (briefly contextualized on the endpapers) Imogene is always quoting? How does the past co-exist alongside the present (Imogene's father wears a Red Baron outfit, pilots a classic biplane, and motors along in a WWII sidecar, for example) and how does it influence our times (symbolically shown as Imogene perches atop a Lincoln bust while working on her laptop)? With a light touch, complemented by Carpenter's breezy illustrations, Fleming introduces rather than stresses these issues, making room for more thoughtful discussion but never requiring it.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)