Review: Are We There Yet? The First Road Trip Across the USA
- amiller8979
- Jul 18
- 2 min read
by Amber Miller
July 18, 2025
Fasten your seatbelts as Stacy McAnulty takes readers on a cross-country road trip at the dawn of the automotive age! It's 1903 when Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson bets fifty dollars that he can drive a horseless carriage (a car) across the USA, from California to New York, in less than three months. This feat is especially challenging due to the absence of GPS, road maps, and paved roads. Oh, and we shouldn’t overlook that Dr. Jackson doesn't know how to drive, there are no highways yet, and everyone else who's tried the trip has failed; the odds are stacked against him!
Their trip is far from easy street. The duo must pull the car across streams, drive through deep mud and over rocky terrain, and wait for a stagecoach to bring spare parts. And with no windshield, doors, or a roof, every bump in the road means boingy boingy boingy--until things bounce right out of the car!
Then two more teams start from California, and the race is on! Can a doctor, a bike racer, and a bulldog make it across the finish line first?
Other reviews have suggested there isn’t a natural or obvious classroom fit for this non-fiction picture book, but I disagree. The book can be incorporated into studies on machines and inventions, the Industrial Revolution, careers (such as a doctor turned record-setting driver), explorers, or famous Americans.
This book also serves as a fun and factual read-aloud when discussing themes such as courage, perseverance, and teamwork, as well as character traits like courage and resilience. In 1903, when Vermont doctor Horatio Nelson attempted the unprecedented feat of crossing the United States in an automobile in less than three months, he had yet to learn to drive; cars were still seen as a novelty, and the idea of an interstate highway system was still a distant dream.
Baddeley’s illustrations effortlessly convey the many ups and downs (and breakdowns) of the riveting trip while matching the jovial tone of McAnulty’s witty nonfiction picture book. McAnulty’s detailed prose is punctuated by key dates and onomatopoeic flourishes that evoke the era’s bumpy rides. The journey is complemented by vibrant digital illustrations characterized by clean lines and crisp colors. Back matter includes a map, timeline, fun facts, and a list of sources.
Bonus Materials for educators and parents, found on author Stacy McAnulty's website, include an easy and a more challenging maze for readers to complete.