Megan Stine - Who Is Michelle Obama?

For Jane OConnor, with gratitude and admirationMS

For my sister JoanneJOB

PENGUIN WORKSHOP

Penguin Young Readers Group

An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Text copyright 2013 by Megan Stine. Illustrations copyright 2013 by John OBrien. Cover illustration copyright 2013 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd. WHO HQ & Design is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Printed in the USA.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013017264

Ebook ISBN 9780698159488

Version_2

Who Is
Michelle Obama?

A tall and beautiful African American woman stood on the lawn behind the White House. She smiled at a group of children and teenagers who had come from nearby schools.

It was a warm sunny day in October. The kids were dressed in T-shirts and jeans. The woman wore a bright blue sweater and black slacks. Grinning, she picked up a hula hoop and began to swivel it around her waist.

The crowd watched, and someone started counting. Ninety-eightninety-nineone hundredone hundred one

She kept going. She reached 142 times before she stopped. She could have kept going longer!

I can hula-hoop forever, the woman said. She even knew how to swirl two hoops at once.

The kids tried to keep up with her. Everybody was having fun. But there was also an important purpose to the fun. Hula-hooping was a way to help kids get more exercise and stay healthy.

Who was that gorgeous woman performing at the White House? It was Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States!

HILLARY CLINTON
OCTOBER 26, 1947

WHEN BILL CLINTON RAN FOR PRESIDENT IN 1992, HE TOLD VOTERS THAT THEY WOULD GET TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. HE MEANT THAT HE AND HILLARY WOULD WORK TOGETHER ONCE THEY WERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

SOME PEOPLE DIDNT LIKE THAT IDEA. HILLARY, HOWEVER, WAS SMART AND EAGER TO DO GOOD WORK. SHE WOULDNT LET ANYTHING STAND IN HER WAY.

SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO HAVE HER OWN OFFICE IN THE WEST WING OF THE WHITE HOUSE, NEAR THE PRESIDENTS. OTHER FIRST LADIES HAD THEIR OFFICES IN THE EAST WINGOUT OF THE WAY.

SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH CONGRESS TO TRY TO GET A NEW HEALTH CARE LAW PASSED. CONGRESS REJECTED HER IDEAS, THOUGH.

AFTER BILL CLINTON WAS NO LONGER PRESIDENT, SHE DECIDED TO RUN FOR OFFICE HERSELF. SHE WAS THE FIRST FIRST LADY TO DO THAT! IN 2000, SHE WAS ELECTED AS US SENATORTHE FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS A SENATOR FROM NEW YORK.

IN 2008, SHE RAN FOR PRESIDENT AGAINST BARACK OBAMA. SHE DIDNT GET THE NOMINATION. BUT AFTER BARACK OBAMA WAS ELECTED, HE APPOINTED HILLARY CLINTON AS SECRETARY OF STATE. THAT MADE HER THE FIRST FORMER FIRST LADY TO SERVE IN A CABINET POST.

Chapter 1
A Close Family

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, on the South Side of Chicago. Her family lived in a one-bedroom apartment. It was on the second floor of a small house. Michelles great-aunt lived downstairs.

Michelles parents slept in one room. They divided the other room. One space was a tiny bedroom for Craig, Michelles brother. He was two years older than Michelle. The other space was a tiny bedroom for Michelle. It was as small as a closet!

Michelles parents were strict, but she didnt mind. How could she, when she admired them so much?

Her father, Fraser Robinson, was a hard worker and a cheerful man. For years, he held a job with the city water plant. He worked his way up from janitor to manager. Frasers job was tough. It got even harder after he became sick. When Michelle was young, he developed a disease called multiple sclerosis. It affected his spine and muscles. It was hard for him to walk. He had to use crutches or a cane. Sometimes it took Fraser Robinson an hour to get dressed. Still, Fraser never complained. He never skipped work because he didnt feel well.

Michelle and Craig never wanted to disappoint their father. If one of them ever misbehaved, Fraser would give them a stare. Then he would say, Im disappointed. Thats all it took. Michelle and Craig would both start cryingeven if only one of them had done something wrong!

Michelle also looked up to her mother, Marian Robinson. She had been a secretary, but when her children were born, she quit work to stay home with them. Like Fraser, she expected a lot from her childrengood grades, good behavior. She brought home extra workbooks so Michelle could study more in her spare time.

Marian also taught Michelle and Craig to speak their own minds and stand up for themselves. Make sure you respect your teachers, Marian Robinson said. But dont hesitate to question them.

Life at home was simple and happy. The family always ate dinner together.