Ben Franklin's In My Bathroom! by Candace Fleming

"Yet even in my discombobulated state, I can assure you that I am unquestionably Benjamin Franklin." page 27

Grade Level: 2-5

Reading Level: 3rd

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 26, 2017)

Rating: 4 out of 4

Summary:

Through a time travel box, Nolan and his little sister Olive find Benjamin Franklin in their house and give him a tour of modern life.

I just loved this book!  It is a fast read and has lots of white space, humorous illustrations and every so often a story Ben Franklin tells is illustrated and told like a graphic novel.  I think it is a perfect book for kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, or Dork Diaries.

In this story, a box mysteriously appears on the doorstep of Nolan and Olive's house.  They mess around with it and soon Benjamin Franklin appears.  He doesn't seem too concerned about his time travel incident but is really just fascinated by the modern world.  The best part was when they take him to the library, which he invented in his day, and the librarian thinks he is the guest speaker for the day. Of course he does a superior job!  Later, at the swimming pool he shows the kids his unique style of swimming. He has a way of charming the ladies during this scene.

As I was reading this book, you realize how the author took facts about the life of Benjamin Franklin and wove them into this humorous story. At the end she confirms some of the facts about him in an epilogue. Candace Fleming does mention in her bio that she wrote an in-depth biography about Benjamin Franklin and fell in love with him. She even baked him a cake for his 296^th birthday!  This book is a first book in a new series called “History Pals Series”.  There is a hint at the end of the book that Eleanor Roosevelt will be the next famous person to time travel to Nolan and Olive’s house. I look forward to promoting this series.