"The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Mock Newbery 2026

Dec 10, 2013 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, in-classroom-library, 2013-novel-length-reads, biography, arcs, ya-lit, history

I was not alive when President Kennedy was shot but this book made me feel like I was there. It played out like a documentary. I was completely engrossed in the story and found myself overcome with emotion when Swanson writes about how the funeral played out. I highly recommend this nonfiction title for students who think history is boring. They won't be bored with this book! ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: faith, social-activists, character-building, ncbla2014, social-studies, space, bullies, families, presidents, social-justice

Since I'm part of that generation that grew up after the assassination of JFK, I can still recall exactly where I was when the shocking news was delivered to me and my second grade classmates. I also can vividly recall seeing the shooting of his assassin on a television broadcast that was played endlessly during those turbulent days back in 1963. Perhaps because these events were my first awareness of politics and government or perhaps because I have always been intrigued by history and politica ...more

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Nov 25, 2013 Dest rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, teen, crime

I read this in one sitting (on an airplane) and cried at the end (flying makes me emotional). Oh, Jackie! I cried for her. I was so moved to learn that she wouldn't change clothes or leave the president's body until they were home and secure. Before reading this book I often thought of Jackie as a woman betrayed by a philandering husband, but this makes me think that her marriage was loving and JFK deserved her devotion.

I also liked that this book had zero conspiracy theories, but addressed the ...more

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Aug 14, 2013 Kristine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fic, e-book, firstreads-netgalley, mock-newbery, political-biz-econ-ish, young-adult

Wow. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Mere hours after finishing another review and declaring it my favorite of the year so far for the Mock Newbery club, I finish this one. And what a brief moment in time my last book claimed the title of favorite.

When I was a few chapters into the book I was confused, the chapters were short and reading level relatively low, but content wise it was communicating and stating facts as if you were an adult. I was confused, sure the grisly murder isn't for my 8 year old . . Wow. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Mere hours after finishing another review and declaring it my favorite of the year so far for the Mock Newbery club, I finish this one. And what a brief moment in time my last book claimed the title of favorite.

When I was a few chapters into the book I was confused, the chapters were short and reading level relatively low, but content wise it was communicating and stating facts as if you were an adult. I was confused, sure the grisly murder isn't for my 8 year old . . . but I would tag this as a young teen target audience. So I'm going to go ahead and throw it into my Mock Newbery pile, as it's in the older range. Heck since I enjoyed it so much (and yet finished it in one day) I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It reminds me a bit of a mix of Lincoln: A Photobiography and Bomb, as with the mix of photography and historical facts the author was able to create a sort of thrilling account. As in the other books, I know how the story ends, but I just couldn't put it down. I would rate those higher because they have more meat to them and the story is a bit more fleshed out. I can't say enough about the impact the photography and included pictures have on the story.

Most reviews and stories about the assassination of JFK begin with someone recalling where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news. As I'm just a young 'un, I'd parallel that with my generation's memories of 9/11, although our elders had to live through both tragedies. Since I wasn't alive and there with my own recollections, I valued the inside details and timeline given by Swanson. What a nightmare it turned out to be from beginning to end, from the fact that if the convertible would have sped up instead of slowing down, he likely wouldn't have received the fatal head wounds. Or that the Secret Service men didn't ride on the back of the car, and if they had done so that day it would have blocked the view. Or if they had put up the plastic rain cover it likely would have deflected a fatal blow. Or how if the parade hadn't been planned to pass the building during his lunch hour while the building was empty it would have likely blown the cover. Just over and over how everything had to line up with luck and timing in the worst possible way. The short backgrounds on JFK's and Oswald's life felt a bit brief, but appropriate considering the length and audience of the book, appropriate. The author provides a fitting tribute for a great man.

A copy was provided by netgalley.com and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, 2016-caudill-awards

This book was by far the most in-depth book that I have read about JFK's assassination. I read it in one day, because I could not put it down. It all centers on days preceding his fatal Texas visit and the aftermath of his death. The book is so easy to follow because it takes you step by step of what happened on his visit to Texas, the plot of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the funeral of the president. The photographs were amazing as were the the exact statements of Jackie Kennedy, the secret service a ...more

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Dec 31, 2013 Leesa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, 2014-ya-nonfiction-finalist

What a tragic time in our history. This book takes you through the main events leading up to the assassination of JFK from two sides - Kennedy's and Oswald's. It gave me just enough background knowledge to get a good remembrance of what I've learned over the years, but if I were a young reader today, I would get a good grasp of the main events and then be hungry for more information. In other words, it wouldn't just spell it all out and then allow me to walk away to another read, it would compel ...more

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Mar 10, 2014 Samantha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, audio-books, presidents, texas, kennedy

Well done! This gripping recount of Kennedy's life and assassination is told in two perspectives, that of Kennedy and that of Oswald, his killer.

The writing is action-packed and full of information. The assassination is covered in great detail, but there's also quite a bit of biography about Kennedy and his famous family.

I was struck by how orchestrated certain moments that have since gone down in history were. The iconic image of LBJ being sworn in on Air Force One with Jackie nearby was all s ...more

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May 22, 2015 Christina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-school, 2013-kids-ya, 2016-caudills

A detailed and engaging account of JFK, Jackie, and Lee Harvey Oswald's movements on November 22, 1963, the day Oswald killed Kennedy. I learned many things that I did know before, and I thought I knew a lot about this event. Several of Jackie's quotes from the minutes following the shooting are haunting for their insight and devotion to John's memory, and they gave me an even deeper respect for her. The detailed anatomical description of what happened to JFK's body as the two shots tore through ...more

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