Description: Award-winning author G. Neri reflects on a childhood cross-country road trip with his family, sharing the wonder of America's most famous landmarks, the best (and worst) of its history, and the remarkable diversity of its people.
The year is 1976, and America is throwing its biggest birthday party ever--its bicentennial. What better way to celebrate than with an eight-thousand-mile road trip? In this vibrant follow-up to his travelogue, My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More, author G. Neri recalls his family's real-life journey in a station wagon crossing twenty-six states in seven weeks, from California to Washington, DC, with only the aid of paper maps and transistor radios rather than smartphones and GPS. Young Greg is entranced by the variety of accents, strange foods, natural wonders, and historical attractions, from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty. He meets Civil War reenactors at Gettysburg, protesters in Philadelphia, pioneer wagon riders in Valley Forge, and his own rambunctious Texan cousins. And he glimpses the darker side of traveling as a family of color, pondering whether "We the People" includes people like him. Engaging text, sidebars, photos, and dynamic illustrations by Corban Wilkin create a personal snapshot of this extraordinary moment in US history, when a weary, post-Vietnam nation embraced the spirit of celebration. Back matter includes an author's note, history and travel facts, and recommended reading.Review Quotes: A delightful period piece. . . .
--Booklist (starred review)
--School Library Journal Artist Wilkin returns for a third collaboration, transforming Neri's adventures into eye-popping multilayered collages of maps, photographs (both personal and stock), doodled lists, and detailed illustrations. . . . An indelible family adventure exploring all things American--the good, bad, and ugly.
--Kirkus Reviews Neri makes an enthusiastic, inquisitive guide on a trip packed with all sorts of interesting information, and he balances his wonder at the various sights and sounds with the cheerful chaos of a family trip. . . . An epic journey.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books