Time Slip Tuesday- White House Clubhouse

O'Brien, Sean. White House Clubhouse
October 3, 2023 by Norton Young Readers
ARC provided by the publisher

Marissa, who is in fifth grade, and Clara, who is in third, are not thrilled that their mother was elected president of the United States and they've had to leave their home in California. Even something as simple as getting picked up from school involves the secret service and code names, and when Clara wants to climb trees on the White House lawn, tourists have to be moved away from the fences! Not only that, but President Suarez usually requires them to appear at certain state functions. When an errant ball almost takes out a table full of wine glasses right before a reception but instead goes under a table, it ends up leading Marissa into a hidden area of the basement that former White House kids used. She and Clara try on some of the dusty clothes they find there and even sign an invitation of sorts, saying that they will band together with other White House kids... and before you know it, they have gone back to 1903 and meet Teddy Roosevelt's children! Archie is sick, and Quentin is conspiring to get his horse into his room. The older Alice is getting involved with presidential business, but also carries around a small snake! When the children all decide to go along with their father on a train trip to California, it becomes clear that Marissa and Clara's mission in 1903 is to stop Arnold Wendell, a property developer, from cutting down the last of some giant redwoods. Roosevelt's secretary, Mr. Loeb, is in cahoots with Wendell, and is trying to persuade the outdoorsy president that destroying natural resources is the only way to move the country forward. Marissa and Clara manage to stowaway on the train, with the help of Ethel, and have quite a number of adventures on the train, especially since Allan Pinkerton is aboard, providing security for the president. Mr. Loeb thinks that the children merely distract the president from his duties, so doesn't want him to spend much time with them. Marissa knows that she has to stop all of the development in her home state; if all of the trees are destroyed in the Sierras, there will be no getting them back. Relying on Roosevelt's love of the outdoors and of his children, and emphasizing the importance of preserving the natural resources of the US, will Marissa be able to win the president over from the influence of Wendell and Loeb so that she and Clara can return to their own time? 

Strengths: This had a lot of action and adventure, and the idea of being able to travel across the country on a train is such an appealing one. It also lends itself to a lot of derring-do, although hanging on to a ladder on the outside of a speeding train does NOT sound like a good idea! Seeing the young Roosevelts was a lot of fun, and seeing details about Teddy Roosevelt (he didn't wear his glasses while exercising!) will appeal to readers who have seen him appear in books (Seiple's fantastic Death on the River of Doubt) and movies (A Night at the Museum). I loved the environmental issues in this and did not realize that the policies of the early 20th century were so horrible! Reveling in cutting down trees that were a thousand years old... thank goodness those practices have stopped! Marissa and Clara are positive and well meaning characters who through themselves whole heartedly into their adventure but are also glad to get back to their own places in history once they get a little perspective. O'Brien was a speech writer for Bidens, and since his children were frequently at the White House, he offers a fresh perspective. 
Weaknesses: This will probably appeal more to elementary readers than middle school ones. Making Clara older rather than young would have helped (she and Alice could have gotten into hijinks then), but as much as I love time travel books, I've had a hard time selling them to middle school readers. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Lergangi's Throwback series, Martin's Glitch or Gutman's The Flashback Four, and like to imagine that they could travel in time and change the past!

Who knew that political speech writers would turn to writing middle grade books. One of my very favorites, Tom Watson of Stick Dog Fame, once wrote speeches for the governor of Ohio!