Derek's perfect summer was ruined. His mother did not want to have fun. She wants him to READ! His best friend goes away for a great vacation back East, and he gets to go to a learning camp so he can learn to enjoy reading "real" books. Then he finds out that he almost died when he was a baby and he may have caused the death of the babysitter. He's obsessed with finding out what happened, but his mom is also determined not to let him. 
Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America by Lynne Cheney and Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser is inspired by Cheney's experiences with her grandkids to write what is basically a history book in the guise of tour book. It's lavishly illustrated and accompanied with lots of tidbits about each state on a double page spread. Sometimes the information is too much and your eyes kind of glaze over but overall it's chockful of stuff and it's great to pore over a few states at a time with your kids. 
Go, Go America: 50 States of Fun by Dan Yaccarino has a more retro feel, theYaccarino family way back when perhaps? Yaccarino also gives each state a double page introduction with his stylish minimal approach to illustration. There are kooky historical facts, obscure head scratching laws as well as the more straight forward info all rolled into one really fun book for everyone from the very young all the way up. For readers of all ages.
