When her father, Theodore Roosevelt, becomes president after the assassination of William McKinley, ten-year-old Ethel Roosevelt’s life changes dramatically. Previously schooled at home, Ethel is enrolled in the new National Cathedral School, where she boards during the week. At school she is homesick and finds it difficult to make new friends. She can’t wait for Friday afternoon, when she returns to her new home, the White House, which can barely contain the energy of her warm, exuberant family. Delightful weekend antics, like the time Ethel spends a state dinner beneath the formal dining table at the White House on a dare, contrast with the formal atmosphere of the school, where Ethel dreads the whispers of her classmates. Those whispers escalate to sneers after her father hosts a black man, Booker T. Washington, for dinner, and Ethel wishes she had the same courage as her father to uphold her convictions and beliefs. But with the support of her loving family—from her even-tempered mother to her ebullient father to her bold, independent half-sister, Alice, whom she adores—Ethel gradually adjusts to being “the president’s daughter” while remaining true to herself. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s appealing narrative is convincingly and compellingly told from young Ethel’s point of view. The author includes a wonderful note that details where fact ends and fiction begins in her narrative. (Ages 8–10)

ETHEL IS 10 YEARS OLD in 1901 when her family’s life changed forever. Suddenly, Father is not only a famous cowboy, war hero, and politician, but also President Theodore Roosevelt, leader of the United States—and Ethel has a new place to call home. The White House is older and stuffier than Ethel imagined, but there’s never a dull moment with her adventurous family around. Ethel would love to spend every day following Father on horseback rides and scrambles through neighboring Rock Creek Park. Instead, Ethel has to stay at boarding school during the week, where nothing she does feels right and none of the girls seem to like her. Ethel’s parents keep telling her to keep her chin up and be patient, but it’s not easy being the president’s daughter. Ethel wishes she could be as courageous as father and make her family proud. When her fashionable older sister arrives home, Ethel feels new hope. Sister knows the secret of being brave and making friends, and she’s willing to share it. All Ethel needs to do is take one outrageous dare. From the Hardcover edition.