The Kid Who Ran for President

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1996

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-6

Chapters 7-10

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 13-14

Chapters 15-16

Chapters 17-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-24

Chapters 25-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Election

The election is the main event and external conflict of The Kid Who Ran for President. The book presents the election as it occurs every four years in America and parodies the process by having a 12-year-old kid enter the race. By telling the story from Judson’s perspective, Gutman shows the election from the inside and outside. Judson’s campaign offers a glimpse at the media image candidates must uphold, as well as the many people and hours it takes to run a successful campaign. From the outside, Judson is new to campaigning and brings only a basic knowledge of the election process to the story. Placing someone who knows little of political workings into a presidential race is both irony and satire.

Gutman pokes fun at the election process while also showing respect for it. Exploring the work that goes into a campaign makes it clear the election is not to be taken lightly, but the emphasis on image and entertainment shows how the election is not just about the important work of choosing a president. The election forces Judson to change. While he remains a joker throughout the book, he learns to take things seriously, evidenced by his decision to resign after being elected. The election process shows the toll taken on the candidates. Candidates have virtually no private lives, a challenge for Judson. Judson’s difficulty with the press reflects how candidates are lambasted in real life and how no part of their life is protected from the election and its drama.

Interviews and Debates

Judson participates in interviews and debates throughout The Kid Who Ran for President. Interviews show Judson’s inexperience, likeability, and personality. When asked serious questions about policy or his plans for America, Judson responds with answers befitting a 12-year-old boy to hide his lack of knowledge (and because he is a 12-year-old boy). Less serious questions are met with Judson’s signature joking nature. The interviews further the book’s satirical premise by poking fun at politicians’ sometimes nonsensical or difficult-to-understand answers.

Judson also participates in debates. The debate at the book’s end is similar to the interviews in that it pokes fun at the debates held during each election cycle. Judson’s short answers during the debate parody how politicians often give lengthy answers that go over their allotted time. The social media discussion in Chapter 19 is also a form of debate. Here, it is Judson’s disparaging comment about himself versus everyone else in the chatroom. In this chapter, Gutman alludes to the real-life flame wars and attacks between parties with differing views. Judson’s comment is met with swift and unrelenting bullying, which mirrors how opposing viewpoints are dealt with on the Internet in real life.

The Lemonade Stand

Though the lemonade stand itself only appears in Chapter 11, its spirit persists through the end of the book. The lemonade stand represents Judson’s version of a campaign event. While he can’t afford an expensive convention center, he can set up a table in his yard and sell lemonade with similar or even better results in terms of swaying people to his side. The lemonade stand shows that the event itself isn’t what draws support. Rather, it is a likable candidate, regardless of qualifications.

The lemonade stand inspires kids across America to have their own sales, lemonade or otherwise. Once donations start coming in for Judson’s campaign, the lemonade stand becomes a symbol of kids taking matters into their own hands. Since kids likely needed help, or at least input, from parents, the lemonade stand also represents growing public approval for Judson’s campaign. The lemonade stand’s success by itself foreshadows Judson winning the race, and the sales across America mirror how Judson gains favor with the American people.