President Cleveland,
Where Are You?
Author: Robert Cormier
page 382
Historical Note
• watch CTN clip
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/greatdepressioncauses/
• The Great Depression began in the United States in 1929. It
was characterized by panic, financial collapse, and great
unemployment.
• GROVER CLEVELAND was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth
president of the United States. In 1894, a year after Cleveland was
reelected to the office, the United States suffered a major
economic panic (Depression of 1893-1898). There were four
million unemployed people in the United States, and the country
was virtually bankrupt.
CRITICAL THINKING: Why would a card company change the
type of cards from cowboys to U.S. presidents considering
the time period?
Summary:
During the Great Depression, Jerry and his friends collect
trading cards. To promote a series of cards featuring
U.S. presidents, the card company offers a special
baseball glove to the first boy who completes a set.
Soon all the boys are looking for the last card –
President Cleveland.
At home, Jerry’s older brother shares his problems: he is
in love, and now the girl has invited him to a dance. He
can’t afford the new shoes and corsage he needs for
the dance. He also informs Jerry that there are
President Cleveland cards available on the North Side.
Jerry gets one, but instead of using it to get the mitt, he
sells it for five dollars to allow his brother to go to the
dance.
Character Traits
Workbook p.58
Character
Jerry
Important Trait
good-hearted
Example from story
Armand
responsible
Armand collects money from the
family members and buys a present
for their father; he works and gives
money to the family.
Jerry’s father
big, loud
generous
Jerry’s father has a booming laugh;
he spends money from his
overtime work on his children.
Rollie Tremaine
rich, spoiled
When Rollie can’t collect the cards
he needs, he says he’ll just buy the
glove.
Roger Lussier
a good friend
He believes Jerry and accepts that
Jerry had a real “emergency” even
though Rollie ended up winning the
contest among the boys.
Jerry sells the last President card
and gives the money to his brother.
Elements of a Story
• Plot: the sequence of events in a story. Each event
causes or leads to the next.
• Exposition: it is the event in the plot that reveals
the situation and character.
• Conflict: events of the plot reveal a problem
• Rising Action: tension builds through as the events
caused by the problem develop and sharpen the
problem
• Climax: when everything comes to a head; the
point of greatest interest and emotion. Then the
story falls off and the tension drops.
• Resolution: shows how the problem is solved
USE THE GRAPHIC TO SUM UP THE MAIN EVENT THAT OCCURS AT EACH
STAGE OF THE PLOT OF “PRESIDENT CLEVELAND, WHERE ARE YOU?”
climax
rising action
conflict
exposition
resolution