The year is 1900, and there is a deadly killer on the loose. It strikes men, women, and children, showing no mercy while inflicting agony and sometimes death on its victims. Stealthy, invisible, and terrifying, there is little escape from it during the warm months of summer.
It is the dreaded yellow fever, recognizable by the high fever, severe chills, and yellowed skin and eyes that accompany it.
The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing is the tale of a team of scientists who, at the risk of their own lives, travel to Cuba where yellow fever rages in epidemic proportions. Their task is to find what causes the disease for which there is no cure or vaccination. Lead by Major Walter Reed, M.D., the team of Dr. James Carroll, Dr. Aristides Agramonte, and Dr. Jesse Lazear scrambles for clues. They understand the dangers of their research. They must interact closely with yellow fever victims, and they have no idea how the disease is spread. In the end, one of them will sacrifice all in order to uncover the truth.
A gripping nonfiction book by Suzanne Jurmain which tells of the noble sacrifices made by the scientists and the volunteers who helped them, this book will appeal to older elementary children who are intrigued by medical mysteries. The Secret of the Yellow Death is available locally through the Gail Borden, Schaumburg, Batavia, and Bartlett public libraries.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Copyright © 2009
ISBN 978-0-618-96581-6
Source of review copy: Gail Borden Public Library
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