Young readers will connect with the story of this National Historic Landmark--the Brooklyn Bridge!
Building the Brooklyn Bridge was no simple feat. Despite a brilliant plan from a father-son team of engineers, the process was a dangerous and grueling one. Construction workers developed a mysterious illness (now known as the bends), several died, and the project had devastating effects on the engineers' lives. Still, after fourteen years, the Brooklyn Bridge was finished and became the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time and is still widely admired today. Megan Stine tells the fascinating story behind one of the city's best-loved landmarks. Includes black-and-white illustrations and a foldout color map!
Megan Stine is the Editor-in-Chief of Real U Guides and the author of more than 100 books for young readers including Trauma-Rama, an etiquette book for teenagers published by Seventeen magazine, and several titles in a series based on the popular 1990’s television series Party of Five. A frequent writer of books in the enormously popular Mary-Kate and Ashley series, she is the best-selling author of Likes Me, Likes Me Not and Instant Boyfriend. She has worked with CBS and ABC in developing comedy and drama television pilots, and has written comedy material for a well-known radio personality in New York.
When she isn’t writing, she is a portrait and fine art photographer and a contributing photographer for the Real U series of guides.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live between two cities and yet be surrounded by water? That's what people had been enduring for years prior to 1853. In that year John Roebling was on a ferryboat crossing from New York City in the winter to get to Brooklyn. The ferryboat got stuck in between chunks of ice in the East River while crossing to the Brooklyn side of the river. This is when an idea struck John that a bridge should be built to connect the two cities. Later in his life he would become a well-known bridge builder by building bridges for the army during the Civil War. This book shows the progression from his idea to the reality of the completed bridge in 1883. Did he survive the building of the bridge? Was he recognized as the architect? What role did his daughter-in-law play in the final product? These questions and many more will be answered upon reading this interesting history of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Who ever thought that bridge building could be so interesting, much less reading about bridge building. In her book, Where Is the Brooklyn Bridge?, author Megan Stine gives us a bridge building 101 education to help us understand the science and engineering that goes into designing and building a suspension bridge. We learn about bridge collapses when things are not done properly before she presents us with the need for a bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan and the various drawbacks of bridges such that the logical conclusion leads to a suspension bridge. She details the project from planning and design (by a famous husband and wife team) to actual construction and all the obstacles they encountered and overcame. When it finally opened it was the longest suspension bridge at that time and is currently on the National Historic Landmarks register.
Building the Brooklyn Bridge was no straightforward task. In spite of a splendid arrangement from a father-son group of architects, the procedure was a risky and exhausting one. Development laborers built up a puzzling disease (presently known as the bends), a few died, and the task effectsly affected the specialists' lives. All things considered, following fourteen years, the Brooklyn Bridge was done and turned into the longest suspension connect on the planet at the time is still generally appreciated today. Megan Stine recounts to the intriguing story behind one of the city's best-cherished tourist spots.
I really liked this book because in this series you really learn a lot about a place in a little bit of time. This specif book was no exception, it also contains lots of pictures, diagrams, and fun facts. I also the found the mat helpful
These books are perfect if you are traveling and have to read about multiple places, events, or people. I read the one about Niagara Falls, the Boston Tea Party, and this one before I went on my trip to New England and it helped me appreciate the trip more. They take about an hour to read each and give you the most important facts. Then, if you want, you can get a book that goes into more detail.
Primarily focuses on the contributions made by Washington Roebling (and then, later when he could no longer leave the house, his wife, Emily Roebling) to the Brooklyn Bridge. Fascinating look at all the planning and work that went into constructing such a large suspension bridge.
Wow! Learned a LOT about the Brooklyn Bridge (which I actually visited 10 or 11 years ago to the month). I had NO idea how it was made and all of the cheating and lying that went on behind the scenes. Crazy!
This book is part of the Where is/Who Was series; however, this book does not focus on a person, but a piece of architecture. The book could have been named How Was the Brooklyn Bridge Built? or Who Were the Roeblings? as the book focuses on how the bridge was built and how it affected the lives of those who planned and worked on it.
Brilliant engineering, deadly caisson disease, greedy, dishonest New York politicians and businessmen. This is a history of the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as part biography on the Roeblings (John, Washington, and Emily) who were responsible for its creation. I was fascinated by Washington and Emily Roebling. There were a couple of moments when there was minor confusion caused by repetition chronologically. The information on human waste seemed completely unnecessary and gross. Overall it's well written and well illustrated. Interesting and informative.
The Where Is series is an great resource for our readers. It is accessible and is filled with interesting details. Where is the Brooklyn Bridge? gives the reader a sense of what it takes to build a suspension bridge as well as how dangerous it was to the workers. I think it will be of high interest to my students who enjoy building and like to see how things are made.
So great. A really fascinating overview of the reasons for building the bridge, and the process of its construction. With a nice color map and timeline in the back.