Synopses & Reviews
Don Brown introduces us to yet another little-known heroine. On June 9, 1909, twenty-two-year-old Alice Ramsey hitched up her skirts and climbed behind the wheel of a Maxwell touring car. Fifty-nine days later she rolled into San Francisco, becoming the first woman to drive across America. What happened in between is quite a tale! Through words and pictures, the author shares this story of a brave and tenacious young woman who followed her vision to conquer the open road - even when the road was nothing more than a wagon trail. Alice Ramsey's adventure offers a unique perspective on turn-of-the-century America and pays tribute to the pioneering spirit that helped create it.
Review
"Brown describes an astonishing feat without fanfare or needless adulation . . . . [he] leaves the story spare and true, with touches of humor. . . . It's quite a story, and Brown reminds readers that it's also quite a triumph."
Review
"Brown (Ruth Law Thrills a Nation) pays tribute to the first woman to drive across the United States - an uncommomly daring feat in 1909 . . Brown tells the tale in dramatic fashion, choosing entertaining details with a sure hand."
Review
"Excellent pacing, splendid paintings, and a 'will-she-make-it?' plot add up to a Triple-A Motor Club perfection." —The Bulletin, starred review
Review
and#147;Excellent pacing, splendid paintings, and a and#145;will-she-make-it?and#8217; plot add up to a Triple-A Motor Club perfection.and#8221; The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred
"Brown describes an astonishing feat without fanfare or needless adulation . . . . [he] leaves the story spare and true, with touches of humor. . . . It's quite a story, and Brown reminds readers that it's also quite a triumph." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers
and#147;The author of RUTH LAW THRILLS A NATION pays admiring tribute to the first woman to drive across the United States and#151; an uncommonly daring feat in 1909, before the days of interstates, road maps, or gas stations . . . truly a grand adventure.and#8221; School Library Journal, Starred
About the Author
Don Brown is a professional illustrator. His first children's book, RUTH LAW THRILLS A NATION, was a Reading Rainbow feature selection and an NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. His second book, ALICE RAMSEY'S GRAND ADVENTURE, received starred reviews in THE BULLETIN, KIRKUS REVIEWS, and SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. School Library Journal has called him "a current pacesetter who has put the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies." RARE TREASURE, was selected as a NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. His most recent book was a look at the childhood of Albert Einstein, called ODD BOY OUT. He lives in New York.