The Secret Subway

by Shana Corey

From an acclaimed author and a New York Times Best Illustrated artist comes the fascinating, little-known—and true!—story of New York City’s first subway.
 
New York City in the 1860s was a crowded, disgusting, filled with garbage. You see, way back in 1860, there were no subways, just cobblestone streets. That is, until Alfred Ely Beach had the idea for a fan-powered train that would travel underground. On February 26, 1870, after fifty-eight days of drilling and painting and plastering, Beach unveiled his masterpiece—and throngs of visitors took turns swooshing down the track.
 
The Secret Subway will wow readers, just as Beach’s underground train wowed riders over a century ago.

A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, 2016

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, New York, Historical, Biography

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

Lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW OF THE KINDLE EDTION

What an interesting and indeed also inspiring and encouraging story is Shana Corey's 2016 picture book biography The Secret Subway! And yes, I totally and absolutely do appreciate how Alfred Ely Beech decided to simply ignore the politicking and the often and generally haphazard rules and official obstacles of 19th century New York City and to build, to construct his secret subway totally on the sly so to speak (and well, how typical for shopkeepers to originally be so very much against and opposed to an underground train system, although I do actually understand that building owners would have had their doubts about how safe tunnelling underground might be for foundations and the like). A fun and engagingly told story, Corey's presented text for The Secret Subway is both informative and entertaining and would in my opinion also retain children's interest while The Secret Subway is being read aloud, or indeed, if independent readers are perusing The Secret Subway by and for themselves, with Red Nose Studio's, with Chris Sickels' accompanying artwork for The Secret Subway (consisting of three dimensional polymer clay, fabric/wood figures and structures full of expressivity and colour) providing an in my humble opinion just about perfect and nicely lively accompaniment to and for Shana Corey's equally thus, equally delightful printed words.

However, even though I have most definitely totally found the combination of text and images for The Secret Subway both a textual and a visual treat, what in my opinion truly makes The Secret Subway shiningly and glowingly stand out is the absolutely marvellous in every way supplemental details and information section, consisting not only of Corey's informative author's note complete with both book and internet sources but also an expansive and enlightening sojourn into how Chris Sickels' created the illustrations for The Secret Subway. And while of course, one can still totally enjoy The Secret Subway without considering, without reading the author's and the illustrator's notes, both do in my opinion provide the absolute icing on an already most delicious reading cake. And yes, the only reason that instead of five stars, I am rating this Kindle edition of The Secret Subway with only three stars is that for one, the in particular illustrations look more than a trifle blurry and much too small and that for two, having to constantly zoom in to be able to adequately and comfortably read the words (both in the text proper of The Secret Subway and even more so with the author's and the illustrator's notes), this really does tend to rather get monotonous and hugely annoying. Therefore, while I do in fact very highly recommend The Secret Subway, in my humble opinion, the Kindle version of The Secret Subway really does not do sufficient justice to either Shana Corey's printed words or to Red Nose Studio's, to Chris Sickels' artwork (so is best to be avoided).

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing nonfiction picture book takes a look at New York in the 1860s and the lack of options for transportation on the crowded and dirty streets. Everyone knew that something needed to be done, but no one could agree on exactly what that was. Then Alfred Ely Beach had an idea to build a railroad powered by forced air. Beach knew though that he couldn’t propose to create a railroad under the streets, so instead he proposed that he’d build a tube to carry mail. Even Boss Tweed agreed with the plan. So Beach set to work creating a railroad to carry people and not mail. But it was not going to be as easy as just building the machine. He still had Boss Tweed and above ground politics to deal with!

Corey writes with great energy in this picture book. While nonfiction and historical, the book is fascinating and one immediately roots for Beach as he begins to plan and then dig under New York City. The slow digging under the earth is tantalizingly told. Then the rush of opening and the speed of the train are offered with a breathless tone and fast pace. The ending is sad but also hopeful, since everyone knows that air-driven trains are not the way subways were designed. There is a feeling of remembrance at the end, of one man’s amazing dream that led to other opportunities to tunnel under New York City.

It is always a joy to see work by Red Nose Studios. The book opens with a look at how the illustrations are done with figures made from wire and foam and then polymer clay for the faces. There is such attention to detail throughout with the gorgeous tube-shaped subway car appearing like magic. Done with serious flair for the dramatic and a great sense of style, this picture book’s illustrations are noteworthy and wonderful.

A great pick for fans of machines and inventions, this is also a book just right for dreamers of all sorts. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore nonfiction stories that unearth forgotten secrets from history, and in the talented hands of Shana Corey, this one is particularly fascinating. The book focuses on the dream of Alfred Ely Beach, a New Yorker, who, way back in the 1860s, hatched the idea of an underground train that would allow for more efficient travel beneath the city's crowded streets. Through a bit of trickery, engineering, and innovation, he pulled off the marvelous feat of building a track and train that were powered by a fan, all underground. But this being New York, his train ran into a political roadblock that kept it from ever actually becoming used on a daily basis. Back matter explains more background information about this forerunner of today's subway system and the pneumatic tube system on which Beach's train depended. The story is worth reading, providing a glimpse of early New York City, and the illustrations, which are "hand-built three-dimensional sets shot with a digital camera," are accompanied by pen-and-ink line art, are quite impressive and capture the flavor of the times and the city's citizens. Next time readers happen to ride a subway in a city or airport, they might give thanks to Beach for his imaginative solution to a problem. Were it not for this idea, just imagine how congested those places might be. Curious readers will find additional resources to learn even more in the book's back matter.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgotten engineering, steampunk pneumatic tubes, political machinations: I love stories of grand efforts that get overlooked by history, and trains, so this would be a winner. But then, the art: the puppets, the sets, the costumes! And excellent back matter! Sadly my local library, like many, wraps the dust jacket in a milar/paper cover which is then taped down, so I couldn't enjoy the bonus material on the art, but I get it's really cool. I'm only sorry it isn't also a short film, because that would be awesome!

Library copy

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exquisite non-fiction picture book. It may end up being one of my all time favorites, in fact. Exciting, fascinating text with remarkable, detailed artwork by Red Nose Studio that you have to see to believe. So much to explore and study, The Secret Subway demands to be read over and over.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Gundula I know to hold out for the paper copy.

Ok done.
She's right. I'd not have been able to appreciate the creative art style on a screen. Well-told story, but imo something was missing, and I, personally, was not particularly engaged. If the topic interests you, however, I think you'll like the book.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool story of a cool historical thing, cool illustrations, cool book.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting bit of history of an early attempt to transport people underground at NYC. Though it didn't generate sufficient interest or funding, it was a (forgotten) prototype of sorts for the later New York City subway.

Side note: the illustrations are by Red Nose Studio, which also illustrated a short story on Tor.com, "The Freedom of Navid Leahy".

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew the first New York subway was designed and built by Alfred Ely Beach. In the 1860s we're introduced to a filthy New York City, filled with garbage in the street. After much THINKING and planning Alfred Ely Beach came up with the idea of an underground train run by pneumatic power to move people through the city comfortably. After inventing the concept of using a large fan to power a train, digging a tunnel and designing an elegant train waiting room, his genius idea became a reality and amazed the public! Unfortunately crooked politics skewered his invention, Mob Boss Tweed shut the subway down. Told in a dramatic spare narrative text, the author clearly explains the concept and process of creating a subway in a fascinating way. The multi media illustrations of clay figures animating the story line, created by Red Nose Studio, takes this story to the next level of excellence.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love this trend wherein people reveal really cool things people did in history in picture books. People you may never have heard of or projects you'd never know about. It's really neat. Was that a thing when I was a kid? If it was, I surely didn't read any of those books. I feel like I'm learning so much reading these simple picture books and I just wonder how much more of a knowledge base our kids can have today (and not just because of the internet!) I mean, I know I'm not going to remember the names of all of these great inventors later, but I'll remember the stories and be able to find the names. I've also used my newfound knowledge from picture books (like Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille) in adult conversations. So cool!

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of New York's first subway is told with stunning claymation. We hear about the congestion in the streets and how one person proposed a clever solution that was met with a lot of obstacles that proved to be more impenetrable than rock but still paved the way into what was possible. The dustjacket folds outs to reveal the creative process to create the amazing illustrations.

[Scott Fillner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story and the amazing artwork as well. Some of the pages had art which combined some amazing illustrations and posed figurines. The nonfiction narrative story was great. I enjoyed the author's note at the end, which has sparked an interest in finding out more about Mr. Beach.

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SO EPIC! I can't even! I love discovering little quirky chunks of history and this book is all about that. Excuse me while I geek out

[Damera Blincoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book if you have young children that are interested in New York subways.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. This is a great book to teach research skills to young kids. I loved the art work, bibliography, and historical notes in the back of the book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

True account of an underground train in NYC before the current subway. Love the art work.

Bibliography & suggested readings

[Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history! The kids thought the illustrations were creepy, though, and didn't really like this book.

[Lin Lin]

The subway system in New York City has a history of more than 100 years. When did it start? Who first came up with this brilliant idea? Alfred Ely Beach was a thinker and a "doer". He built an underground tunnel, big enough for a train cart empowered by pneumatic power in 1870. But Beach's idea stopped then. It wasn't brought up again until the new century when the electricity-powered New York City's subway was built in 1904.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at Alfred Ely Beach's creation of New York City's first subway. In order to get permission to build it, he said it was just going to use pneumatic tubes to carry mail; however, he built a tunnel with a working subway. Not surprisingly, politics and power interfered and Beach wasn't able to extend his subway and it soon was abandoned.

While I quite enjoyed the text, I was not a fan of the illustrations.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard not to love this book. This story has been done before for children, but this edition exudes the inventiveness of the main character, largely due to the illustrations. Informative, engaging, mysterious, creative.

[I _teach_muggles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Metro in France, the Underground in London, the Subway in America, riding the rails beneath a bustling city is the norm for millions around the world but there was a time when such an idea would have been laughed at. But sometimes it takes just one idea, to get things rolling…

New York…the greatest city on earth! In 1860 it may have been the greatest city on earth but it wasn’t without its problems. The streets were crowded, dirty and disgusting. Pushcarts and wagons, stagecoaches and buggies, animals and pedestrians all fought for space on the garbage-strewn cobblestone streets. Something had to be done. Everyone had an idea but nothing ever changed.That was until Alfred Ely Beach had an idea of his own…a train that travelled underground with no traffic, trash or weather to worry about. Was such a crazy idea the solution to New York’s busy streets…

Uncover the fascinating, little-known and remarkable true story of one man and his bold vision as he flew under the radar, and quite literally under the streets of New York, to bring his vision of a miniature subway line to life. This is a captivating historical picture book that captures a unique moment in history and pays homage to an ahead of its time idea to solve New York’s congestion problem.

STEM, history, secrets, can-do-attitude and good old skulduggery are all in action as a secret project that was disguised as an underground mail system happened from the basement of a clothing store. Despite Beach’s finished tunnel only measuring eight feet across and just under three-hundred feet long, it is a marvellous feat of engineering and human endeavour. In fifty-eight days, Beach and his team had built the first underground transportation system.

The problem of how to transport New Yorkers across the city had been solved but things never progressed as perhaps they should have and Beach’s story is tinged with sadness. A sensation yes, but only for a short time. His years of hard work resulted in a few months of fan fare and success and then his idea would fall into the abyss and be completely forgotten about. Beach’s train would be derailed by (un)officials and politics and his underground marvel would be forgotten about until the subway system we know today was built almost fifty years later. A detailed author’s note offers more information about Alfred Ely Beach and the opening of the first offical subway line in 1904.

Shana Corey’s energetic narrative is great but the real show-stealer are Red Nose Studio’s stupendous artwork and his ability to conjure eye-catching scenes through his clever and unique craft. Created out of intricate dioramas that are constructed using clay figures, cardboard and other small objects, he brings life to the streets of late nineteenth century New York and a rich world of imagination and historical detail. An animated clip of The Secret Subway, again created by Red Nose Studio, can be found here and is well worth checking out.

Alfred Beach and his secret subway is sure to captivate young readers, just like his fan-powered train captivated its lucky patrons over one-hundred years ago. Exquisite stuff!

Recommended for 7+.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled onto a plethora of books at varying reading levels on the building of the New York City Subway system and the small pneumatic subway that preceded it in the late 1800's, which in this book is called the Secret Subway.
I was amazed at the story of this precursor to the subway system as we know it. Quite ingenious. In a time when the city was run by a tight bureaucracy and power wielding individuals, Alfred Beach quietly circumvented this all to build a pneumatic tube subway under a department store with a well appointed boarding station. The digging instrument was very interesting. And, of course, all this under the cover of night was fascinating.
The book is a child's picture book with the "illustrations" being done in the form of real miniature sculptures with hand sewn clothing by the author. The inside of the jacket cover reveals the process and might whet the appetite of a creative child to have a go at creating their own real life story people.
This whet my appetite so on to the next level book which I will hope will give me more information.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learned about this incredible bit of history through Martin Sandler's 2009 account of this event, The Secret Subway: the Fascinating tale of an Amazing Feat of Engineering. That one was written for middle school students and I think this new picture book tale is equally wonderful. What a great pairing these would be!

Corey's text is very well done for a younger reader, providing just the right amount of embedded history. Her account is lively and interesting. The illustrations from Red Nose Studio take the book up to the next level though. Extraordinary hand-built sets make each page a fascinating treasure trove to linger over and I love the additions of the blue-print like imaginings into some of the pages. Mechanically minded kids will adore this. The potential for the pairing of these two books for middle school classrooms is really exciting.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrated with clay figures, this hidden slice of New York history comes alive. Simplified for children, it’s still an eye-opener about how one man came up with an idea to move about human beings beneath the crowded New York streets.

Alfred Ely Beach’s idea didn’t go anywhere—literally. People rode his short pneumatic tube from one place to another and back again. It was a novelty and novelties get boring after awhile. But it held promise until big business put a stop to it.

The story is illustrated with posed figures that sport the red noses implied on the cover. They are different characters (although most of them seem to sport the same light blue irises). The style makes you think this would take a really good stop-motion short film. Children will like this story and its pictures. I found it delightful as well. I wouldn’t mind having it on my bookshelf.

[Maddi Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for the primary grades, second through third grade. I would categorize it as biographical nonfiction.

I found this book extremely motivating. I think it will be very empowering for children. It all started with an idea! Too often children think they are incapable of doing things. We can’t let students continue to think negatively about themselves. They need to believe they can do whatever they set their minds to. I would definitely incorporate this book into my classroom.

The illustrations are amazing as well. I love how the illustrator explained how the pictures were created. This could give the students an opportunity to create illustrations using the same techniques.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting life Alfred Early Beach led, rom subway builder to editor of Scientific American. Just imagining the process of creating the illustrations for this book is enjoyable. And, to build something in a relatively short period of time-- that could never happen today!

It would have been nice to see the "fan" represented in some way, and I was greatly disappointed to see the line that the fan "sucked" the train. In nature, things do not get sucked; they get pushed. Molecules where there is greater pressure have more force than areas with fewer molecules.

The back matter in the book adds to the story, but I wish the final page with the typical information on the verso page had been easier to read.

[Beth Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “claymation” art immediately invites you to pickup this book. Phenomenal! But as a writer, I was amazed by the text as well. The language is lyrical and engaging, the story expertly structured. History lurks on every page in both text and illustrations. What a great way to learn about this “underground” history!
This book is an excellent selection for ESL students beyond elementary school. The language is rich with idioms and vivid vocabulary. It easily extends into history, politics, transportation, and offers an array of research opportunities.
The Secret Subway is an excellent picture book on multiple levels!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at Alfred Ely Beach and his idea to get people moving from place to place underground...the predecessor of New York's subway system. Obstacle, road blocks (no pun intended!), and powerful, influential people derailed (also, no pun intended) Beach's idea. Yet, years later the same basic idea resurfaced (again, no pun intended) and the New York Subway System of today stills get people to the places they need to be.

Includes An Author's Note, Selected Bibliography, Internet Sources, and Acknowledgements.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated true story about how the idea came about for the New York Subway System and how it was first turned down. Alfred Ely Beach came up with the idea of a fan powered underground train system for people but proposed it to the commissioner as a fast mail system because he knew it would be turned down. Many people came to ride the underground train car until it was shut down. I highly recommend this book to kids of all ages. As an adult, the story fascinated me so much I would love to read more about this historical inventor and his masterpiece.

[Tara Oshinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I judge historical stories based upon whether they leave me wanting to learn more. I was surprisingly uneducated on the development of the subway system in New York City. This story made me want to search out more information and pictures of this pneumatic subway and the drawing room that guests enter into. I'm not sure that I liked the images that accompanied this book. They gave more of an eerie feeling to this book. Overall, interesting story.