How do you catch an
invisible killer? Set in the early 1900s
, Deadly by Julie Chibbaro, follows 16-year-old Prudence Galewski, who leaves school to take a job assisting the head epidemiologist at
New York's Department of Health and Sanitation. They investigate an intriguing case, "
Typhoid Mary," a woman who seems healthy but is infecting other people with Typhoid Fever. Historical notes are included.
When I have several new young adult titles that arrive together, our language arts teachers are always willing to be "first readers" when we discuss books. Mrs. Googe, eighth grade LA teacher, likes how the author relates a good story using historic details of the
Spanish-American War and
Typhoid Mary. "It's great for girls as a motivation to pursue careers, too," she says.
For Accelerated Readers, the book has a 6.4 reading level (Lexile 930) and the quiz is worth nine points.
Cover art is a striking black silhouette on yellow. Find this title in our collection, filed under Fiction (FIC CHI). 293 pages. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Recommended.
--GS
