Alice Across America: The Story of the First Women's Cross-Country Road Trip

by Sarah Glenn Marsh, Gilbert Ford (Illustrator)

Overview

Writer Sarah Glenn Marsh and illustrator Gilbert Ford's Alice Across America is a nonfiction picture book account of maverick Alice Ramsey, the first woman to drive a car across America in 1909.

When Alice Ramsey was little, she loved to ride horses. As she grew up, more people were driving cars. From the moment Alice slid behind the wheel, she was crazy about cars. So when the Maxwell-Briscoe Company challenged her to drive one of their new cars across the country as a promotional ploy to prove that even a lady could do it, Alice daringly accepted. With several women by her side, these brazen drivers sustained many hardships over the course of a remarkable two-month journey and far surpassed all expectations.

With a clever blend of women’s history, technological history, and American roading geography, this is a celebration of unstoppable women making strides in twentieth-century America.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250297020
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,164,483
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Sarah Glenn Marsh is the author of many books for young readers, including A Campfire Tail, Selfie Sebastian, and The Big Girl: Maria Merian’s Scientific Vision. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and their menagerie: four rescued sighthounds, a bird, and many fish.

Gilbert Ford holds a BFA in illustration from Pratt Institute and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author-illustrator of How the Cookie Crumbled and The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring, which is a Best STEM Book of the year, and has illustrated many New York Times-bestselling middle grade jackets, as well as the award-winning picture book Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

"A fun and fascinating story that includes many favorites: cars, strong women, and little-known historical facts. A must-have for a school or public library collection." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Will draw in those interested in cars, history, and/or women's rights with its straightforward yet energetic text and stylized illustrations. A fine choice that showcases a strong woman inspired to succeed."—Kirkus Reviews

"Focusing on a little-known slice of history, this is a solid addition to nonfiction picture-book collections." —Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2020

Gr 2–5—Marsh describes the fascinating story of the first cross-country trip made by women. Alice Ramsey fell in love with driving when she first got behind the wheel of an automobile. When Ramsey earned a perfect score in an endurance test, she caught the eye of the publicist for the Maxwell-Briscoe Company. He proposed that she drive a new Maxwell automobile from New York to California to prove that the car was so well built, even a lady could handle it. Ramsey and three of her friends embarked on a two-month journey that took them across the country. Historical details about cars, roadways, and gender bias are incorporated throughout the story and enhance the plot. The author's note includes more information about Ramsey, her companions, the journey, and photos of the women during the trip. Ford's illustrations are a true asset to the text and evoke a sense of the early 1900s. Most of the illustrations are large two-page spreads that provide a sense of the wide-open spaces the women traveled. VERDICT A fun and fascinating story that includes many favorites: cars, strong women, and little-known historical facts. A must-have for a school or public library collection.—V. Lynn Christiansen, Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, NC

School Library Journal

2019-12-08
If a man can do it, a woman can, too!

In 1909, Alice Ramsey, an early—and uniquely female—adopter of the automobile, was asked by a carmaker to drive from New York to California in order to show that his cars "were so well built and easy to operate that even a lady could drive one safely." Dedicated and excited, she and three friends set off on a tumultuous road trip of nearly 4,000 miles (many of them unpaved) in a vehicle of the time that lacked most of the conveniences and many of the safety measures we are familiar with today and became the first woman to drive across the country. Full of relevant detail and steeped in mild suspense, this tale provides accessible historical context in terms of women's rights and roles as well as information about the development of the automobile in the endnotes. While driving cross country to advertise for a manufacturer may not qualify as the most important achievement in women's history, this kid-friendly selection shows the power of resilience and determination, presents an interest and accomplishment that runs counter to gender stereotypes, and will draw in those interested in cars, history, and/or women's rights with its straightforward yet energetic text and stylized illustrations.

A fine choice that showcases a strong woman inspired to succeed. (author's note, bibliography, map) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews