Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler

October 23, 2017
Sheinkin (Undefeated) kicks off the Time Twisters series with two titles, including this lively Abraham Lincoln–themed romp. When stepsiblings Doc and Abby express their distaste for learning about history, Lincoln himself emerges from a cardboard box portal to give them an earful. After they follow Lincoln back in time, he informs them that he and other famous figures are sick of being called dull: “Since you insist on saying our lives are boring, well then we’ll show you. You can read about us sitting in chairs, staring at the wall. See how you like it.” Swaab’s b&w cartoons play up the outlandish circumstances as Sheinkin has Lincoln facing off against a professional wrestler before recognizing that he needs to return to his rightful historical role (an afterword reveals the ways in which Sheinkin used real-life details about Lincoln, including his tendency to crack jokes). The truth about historical figures, Sheinkin suggests, is more interesting than the myths, and Lincoln’s story concludes with hints about the historical mix-ups that will figure into subsequent books. Available simultaneously: Abigail Adams, Pirate of the Caribbean. Ages 7–10. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates.

November 1, 2017
In the debut volume of the Time Twisters series, Abraham Lincoln arrives at Abby and Doc's school to prove that history isn't boring.But history certainly seems boring when students read in their textbook: "Abraham Lincoln turned to the next page of the newspaper. He took a sip of coffee. He put his feet up on his desk. He read some more." Even Ms. Maybee admits the book is "a little dry." Fortunately, Lincoln arrives via a cardboard box in the storage room to rescue history. It's stories that make history interesting, and they've disappeared from the textbooks. Miffed, Lincoln returns to his own time, and Abby and Doc follow him ("like The Magic Treehouse," Abby notes). He says he and his fellow historical characters--Pocahontas, Washington, Harriet Tubman--can hear students snoring in class and are fed up. "Since you insist on saying our lives are boring, well then, we'll show you," Lincoln says, announcing that he's quitting history. In the course of a silly tale, Sheinkin leads his protagonists to the stories that make Lincoln and his times interesting, which prompts them to find a way to get them back into the books. In Swaab's illustrations, Abby seems to be white and Doc, black. By the end, readers will have learned quite a bit of history along with the protagonists, without being bored at all. When young readers are ready, they can move on to Sheinkin's not-boring histories, such as Bomb (2012).A silly story that weaves in a fair amount of history. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 7-10)

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January 1, 2018

POPGr 3-5-Everyone in Abby's class hates history, especially her stepbrother, Doc. At the end of the school day, when Abby and Doc are waiting for their mom in the library storage room, they hear a thump coming from inside one of the cardboard boxes. Suddenly, out jumps Abraham Lincoln. He has traveled through time to let the students know that because of their complaints, he and other famous people have decided to quit history. This is where Abby's and Doc's exciting adventure begins. They must undo the damage they have done so that Abraham Lincoln will show up to the election and win the presidency. In this first book of the "Mixed-up History" series, Sheinkin combines historical facts with outlandish time travel antics. His historical note at the end encourages readers to "look it up" to find evidence of the unbelievable facts he shares about notable historical figures. Black-and-white line drawings reinforce the silliness of the story, while the short chapters will keep reluctant readers hooked. VERDICT A fun way to entice students to embrace what might seem, at first glance, like boring history.-Annette Herbert, F.E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2017
Grades 2-5 Mixing history, humor, and cartoon illustrations, Sheinkin's new series for young readers blends the appeal of Scieszka's Time Warp Trio, Osborne's Magic Tree House, and Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. In the opener, stepsiblings Abby, who is white, and Doc, who is black, are bored with history. But their boredom is unfortunately contagious and even affects the famous figures they are studying. When Abe Lincoln travels in time and pays them a visit, he warns that a lack of interest in history could have dire consequencesproven true when he decides to abscond from Springfield, Illinois, on the night of his election so that he can try out being a pro wrestler. Will Lincoln get a turn in the ring? Will Abby and Doc convince him to go back and take his place in the historical record? And furthermore, will more adventures ensue? Well, that's a pretty good bet. Sheinkin seems to be having fun with the concept, a departure from his award-winning nonfiction, and readers are likely to enjoy this, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
When stepsiblings Doc and Abby come face-to-face with time-displaced Abraham Lincoln, it's up to them to fix history. In the new series' second volume, the duo travels back in time to persuade Abigail Adams, who has joined a pirate crew, that being First Lady is not boring. Sheinkin expertly slips in interesting facts and true events. Swaab's black-and-white spot illustrations add to the comedic tone.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2018
Reigning champion of narrative nonfiction for tweens and teens Sheinkin aims at a younger audience with this new and lighthearted paper-over-board fiction series. When Doc and Abby come face-to-face with a time-displaced Abraham Lincoln, it's up to the brother-and-sister team to fix history by persuading the sixteenth president to return to 1860. Despite the team's apparent success in the series opener, Lincoln's antics inspire other figures from the history books to follow his lead: in the second volume, Doc and Abby travel back to the early 1700s, where they must persuade Abigail Adams, who has joined an eighteenth-century pirate crew, that being America's second First Lady is not as boring as the history books make it seem. Sheinkin expertly slips a plethora of interesting facts and true events into the narratives. The black-and-white spot illustrations add to the comedic tone; and each volume's back matter helps readers delineate between the truths and the jokes. While the writing is full of wit and energy, the underdeveloped Doc and Abby, who function as readers' surrogates in both volumes, often have too little to do in the plots that unfold around them. Despite the low stakes and casual time-travel mechanics, the first two Time Twisters volumes are sure to appeal to readers ready to move on from Magic Tree House. eric carpenter

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)