Kansas State Reading Circle 2006 Recommended Book
Amelia Bloomer Book Award--or books with a strong female role model

Darleen Bailey Beard's lively, heartwarming story, based on a true episode that brought nationwide attention to women's  suffrage, is told by a twelve-year-old boy torn between love for his mother and loyalty to his father at the time when women were just getting  into politics and the United States was about to enter World War I.

On December 5, 2006, Darleen and her daughter, Karalee, went to see a play ofOperation Clean Sweep at the high school in Umatilla, Oregon. The play was a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the famous Umatilla election --December 5, 1916--when the women ran for office and took their town by surprise! The woman sitting next to Darleen is Erma Ostrom who was personal friends with several of the women who were elected in office.

This is Darleen with Arnie Merrick. Arnie is the grandson of Lola Merrick, who was one of the women elected for office on that cold December day in 1916.  He had no idea his grandmother held office. His grandmother didn't tell him and neither did his grandfather. No one told him this until he did some research and found out the scoop. He and his wife, Dolly, came to attend the play, and, of course, to get a copy of Darleen's book.

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Hardcover: 160 pages 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 9, 2004) 
Language: English 
ISBN: 0374380341 
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches 
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–Cornelius Sanwick, 12, is in a quandary. His father is mayor of Umatilla, OR, and running for reelection. Now Corn has found out that his mother is secretly campaigning for the same position. The year is 1916, and Oregon is one of only 11 states that have given women the right to vote. The boy doesn't know which parent to support, but he realizes that his mother is likely to win because the town has more women than men. Should he tell his father about his mom's secret plan? This story is based on an actual event that brought national attention to Umatilla and women's suffrage. The story moves along quite well and is fueled by several subplots concerning a villainous pickpocket, Cornelius's interest in a classmate, and various school assignments that give readers not only a sense of the time period, but also common experiences with which to identify. Most fiction titles on women's suffrage are from a girl's viewpoint, so Corn's point of view gives the subject another dimension. The boy's dilemma keeps him thinking and questioning where he stands on women in politics and his decisions seem realistically made as he begins to change his attitude. The book has larger-than-usual type and is lots of fun. A great addition to historical-fiction collections.--
Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

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From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. When 12-year-old Cornelius Sanwick overhears his mother and her friends discussing the upcoming election in Umatilla, Oregon, he learns that she is secretly running for mayor against his father, the incumbent. The women are disgusted with the way the men have managed municipal issues and now that it's 1916, they intend to make a clean sweep of the local public offices. Corn is caught between agreeing with his mother about the town's problems and feeling disloyal to his father by keeping secret what he knows. Beard's story, based on real events, features believable characters, strong local color, and a plot that gently makes its point without offending anyone. Subplots--involving a good friend with an annoying habit; Corn's first love; and a notorious pickpocket, Sticky Fingers Fred--round out the action. A timely choice for classroom read-alouds, this might spark discussions about equal rights, suffragettes, or campaign tactics.Kay Weisman

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