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Operation Clean Sweep

Name: Operation Clean Sweep
Author: Darleen Bailey Beard
ISBN: 9780374380342

by Darleen Bailey Beard

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Overview

Mom for mayor!

Election day is fast approaching, and twelve-year-old Cornelius Sanwick discovers a secret: his mom is running for mayor! That would be pretty neat, except that his dad is the incumbent. Corn feels torn — surely he should warn his father. But if he does, his mother won't stand a chance. In 1916, Oregon is one of only eleven states in which women can vote, and they have to take office by stealth. Corn wonders what kind of mayor his mom would make. Would she be able to get the streetlights turned back on? Would she corral the chickens and keep their poop off the streets? And what would she do if the pickpocket Sticky Fingers Fred showed up in Umatilla?

Friendship, first love, and above all filial devotion play their parts in this charming story set during the Great War and based on a true episode in the history of Umatilla, Oregon — the female takeover of the town's government.

In 1916, just four years after getting the right to vote, the women of Umatilla, Oregon band together to throw the mayor and other city officials out of office, replacing them with women.

Synopsis

Mom for mayor!

Publishers Weekly

Operation Clean Sweep by Darleen Bailey Beard is the latest historically-based tale by the author of The Babbs Switch Story (about which PW wrote, "colorful, period-flavored dialogue keeps this tale moving at a fast clip"). In 1916 Oregon, Cornelius "Corn" Sanwick is incredulous when he discovers that the women in town plan to vote a woman into office, replacing his father as mayor. Corn gets a lesson in democracy from the town's suffragists-led by his mother, who aims to be mayor. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Darleen Bailey Beard

Darleen Bailey Beard is the author of Twister, The Flimflam Man, and The Babbs Switch Story, winner of the Oklahoma Book Award. She lives in Norman, Oklahoma.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

“Beard has once again [brought] to light another little-known actual episode that significantly impacted a small town's history.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An entertaining and thoughtful examination of the personal side of politics.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Beard's story, based on real events, features believeable characters, strong local color...a timely choice for classroom read-alouds.” —Booklist

“The book...is lots of fun. A great addition to historical-fiction collections.” —School Library Journal “Based on real events and brimming with local color, this timely story gets to the heart of the political process.” —Book Links

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal

Gr 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 Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Corn is caught in the middle when his Suffragist mother secretly decides to run against his father, who is up for reelection as mayor. Beard recounts the true historical event-when a group of forthright women ran for and won all the major positions in Umatilla, Oregon, in 1916-through the eyes of a boy trying to understand the new concept of equal rights without betraying his loyalty to his father and the typical male perspective. The women have a clearer vision of how funds and services should be administered and where the town's basic needs and maintenance have been neglected. And with the women holding the majority vote against the men, Corn is torn between agreeing with his mother's civic ideas and not telling his father the truth. In addition to the moral issues of lies and secrets, school reports by Corn and his classmates touch on topics related to WWI and the use of animals on the front lines, introducing early-20th-century world news. Beard has once again used her mildly intriguing fiction to bring to light another little-known actual episode that significantly impacted a small town's history. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-11)