Parents' Guide to

Imogene's Last Stand

By Dawn Friedman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Tenacious girl fights to preserve her historical society.

Book Candace Fleming History 2009
Imogene's Last Stand Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

lckitty
lckitty Parent of 5-year-old
December 10, 2009
age 5+
kid loves it

This title has:

Great messages
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Imogene loves history and has since she was a tiny baby. Her favorite place in the whole wide world is the neglected Liddleville Historical Society set in a dusty forgotten building at the end of Main Street. Imogene works hard to clean the place up and get it ready for visitors, but nobody comes. Even worse, the city wants to knock down the building to make way for a shoelace factory! Can Imogene convince them that history matters more than shoelaces?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Effortlessly including historical quotes throughout Imogene's dialogue, this book manages to be entertaining and educational. Imogene's plight and earnestness will have kids rooting for her even if they haven't given historical preservation a second thought. For kids who are intrigued, the book offers a way to learn more with front and end pages that showcase Imogene's inspirational heroes.

 The pen and ink illustrations are detailed as befits a book with lots of dusty artifacts in the background. Imogene's determination comes through, too, as the pictures effectively depict her stomping, shaking her fist, and hollering to be heard. With her brown bob and high spirits, she looks a little bit like a studious version of Beverly Cleary's Ramona.

There is lots of detail in the well-wrought scenery and Imogene's determination comes through loud and clear in every picture.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about who Imogene quotes throughout the book. Using the front and end pages, kids can explore the source of the italicized quotes and the actual context of each statement.

  • Parents can also talk about ways people protest in their own communities, including lawn signs during elections, parades, gatherings in front of the state capital, and petitions. Why do people do these things? Does it work? Why or why not?

  • Families can take a field trip to their own local historical society. They can also visit historic districts or museums in their communities. What kinds of things are kept there? Who decides what has historical value and what doesn't?

  • Kids can think about their own family histories. How do we honor our own stories and why? Families can explore sentimental reasons for historic preservation as well as the educational value of preserving our past.

  • Kids might want to create their own historical displays using art supplies to create "artifacts." What sorts of things would they want to have in their museums? What important historical events would they want to honor or celebrate?

Book Details

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