First Decade, The Curtain Going Up

Century Kids #1

by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler

Through the experiences of the Aldriches, a famous family in American theatre, young readers can gain an understanding of what life was like during the first decade of the twentieth century.

160 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, a married couple who have written numerous books together, were drawn to this story of great writers inspiring each other collaboratively. Their most recent novel, In Darkness, Death, won a 2005 Edgar Award. They live in New York City.

Series:
* Samurai Detective
* Century Kids
* Her Story
* Images Across The Ages
* American Family Album

Reviews

[Linda]

This is a very interesting book and is the first of a series which I think is called the Century series. It features one family and each book tells the story of them in a decade during the 20th century. This book begins on January 1, 1900 and continues through 1902. It follows the Aldrich family who are actors. The main character is Peggy Aldrich and her cousins Jack and Harry share her spotlight. The base of the Aldrich family is in Maine. The townspeople think that acting is a shameful profession. Grandpa Aldrich builds a new theater and invites the townspeople to attend the show for free. It's interesting when President Theodore Roosevelt comes to visit, and stay with the Aldrichs, bringing his lively 3 sons and 1 daughter.

I'm eager to continue reading this series. Luckily, I bought the whole set at a library sale.

[Talia]

This ongoing, intertwining series starts out with Peggy Aldrich and her cousins Jack and Harry. Their family is made up of actors, a dishonorable profession to some. Grandpa Aldrich decides that a way to keep the family together is to open up their own theater in Maine and to put on a play! Within the story comes adventure, suspense, danger, and even a visit from President Teddy Roosevelt!

I'd been eyeing this series for a while, and so far, it's just ok. The story can get dry at times, but I'm still interested to see how the other decades go and if they'll still follow Peggy and how the stories will be related to each other. This could possibly be another choice for historical fic fans who are done with Magic Tree House.