I borrowed this from the library as a curiosity after I heard about it, and was really impressed. I learned a lot about American history (and some of our presidents) that I had never heard before, even after taking American History and US Government in high school. Not all of the things I learned about our presidents and our history was great to read, but then, neither history nor politics are always pleasant.

It was interesting and easy to read, with enough background information on everything that there was no need to look anything up for context as I read. It was also in general nicely balanced without being condescending or simplified on the excuse of it being 'for children'.

The bulk of the book, divided up by presidents, was followed by a brief history of the Secret Service (I'd certainly never heard the story of how they came about and evolved to take on their current duties) and a short fictional piece about a schoolboy that was quite amusing and fit in nicely with the book's topic. ( )

This book is arranged chronologically beginning with the attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson and ending with George W. Bush. There is a final chapter on the history of the secret service. One might say this follows a cause and effect structure. Lincoln began the service to prevent the counterfeiting of money, but as threats to the presidency continued over time, the purpose of the service changed.

The chapters themselves are written narratively. Each one tells a brief story of the president and his assassin (would be or otherwise). The details included about each president serve to highlight the motivations of the various, and often disturbed, assassins. The text is interwoven with illustrations which deepen the narrative. Many of these take the form of comic strips which animate the most interesting or shocking aspect of the story. A strip in the chapter on Andrew Jackson shows us the lead laced dreams of Richard Lawrence who believed killing Jackson was his only avenue to claiming the throne of England.

I heard about this book on the Stuff You Missed In History podcast. The hosts interviewed its author, Bryan Young, who chose to write this book after his 7 year old daughter learned about the Kennedy assassination. This book is illustrated in order to create interest and accessibility for young children dealing with the difficult subject of death. In keeping with this purpose, each chapter ends with an illustration by Scout Young, Bryan Young's daughter. These are some of the most interesting features in the book. Here we get a chance to peer into a child's mind and guess at her interpretations of presidential characters and the effects of their loss. ( )