ARE WE THERE YET?

It’s 1903, and the prospect of driving an automobile across the United States in under three months seems impossible.

Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson makes a $50 wager to prove otherwise. One problem? He doesn’t know how to drive. He hires Sewall Crocker, a bicycle racer, as his instructor, mechanic, and companion. Their used Winston Touring Car—which they name “the Vermont”—lacks modern accessories such as seat belts, a windshield, and a roof. There are no freeways or highways yet to connect cities, nor maps to follow. Adding to the pressure, just after the Vermont leaves California, two other automobile teams set out to beat them across the country. Mishaps plague the Vermont on its journey: The duo encounter treacherous terrain, they lack key supplies, and their belongings keep flying out of the automobile—“BOINGY-BOINGY-BOINGY.” Their spirits are buoyed when they adopt an ugly but amiable mascot, Bud the bulldog. Stalls, breakdowns, and a harrowing crash don’t temper the team’s “nothing-will-stop-me spirit,” delivering them victoriously to New York City, 63 days after their departure. Friendly digital line illustrations in sepia tones complement the old-timey feel of the text, enhanced by McAnulty’s quick-witted storytelling, which echoes an early-20th-century newsreel. Comic-style framed panels pull important moments to the foreground and break up blocks of text into manageable bites. Jackson and Crocker were white; background characters have skin tones ranging from peachy pale to medium brown.

A direct route through a funny, adventurous, historical romp.