Gail Jarrow

School Library Journal Best Book Included on NPR's 2022 "Books We Love" List Eureka! Nonfiction Silver Honor Award (California Reading Association) Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book Evanston (IL) Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022 What made workers in the American South so tired and feeble during the 19th and early 20th centuries? This exciting medical mystery uncovers the secrets of the parasite hookworm, commonly known as the “American Murderer,” and is the latest title in Gail Jarrow’s (YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award-winning author) Medical Fiascoes series. Imagine microscopic worms living in the soil. They enter your body through your bare feet, travel to your intestines, and stay there for years sucking your blood like vampires. You feel exhausted. You get sick easily. It sounds like a nightmare, but that’s what happened in the American South during the 1800s and early 1900s. Doctors never guessed that hookworms were making patients ill, but zoologist Charles Stiles knew better. Working with one of the first public health organizations, he and his colleagues treated the sick and showed Southerners how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses so that the worms didn’t spread. Although hookworm was eventually controlled in the US, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate readers interested in medicine, science, history—and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures.

The Parasite that Haunted the South

American Murderer

Chronicles the story of the early 1900s typhoid fever epidemic in New York, providing details as to how its infamous carrier was ultimately tracked down and stopped.

Gripping text and photographs tell the 1907 true story of the woman who unwittingly spread deadly bacteria, the epidemiologist who discovered her trail of infection, and the health department that decided her fate.

tracking down Typhoid Mary

Fatal fever

This thrilling title for young readers blends science, history, and medical mysteries to tell the story of the assassination and ultimately horrible death of President James Garfield. James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was assassinated when he was shot by Charles Guiteau in July 1881, less than four months after he was elected president. But Garfield didn't actually die until 80 days later. In this page-turner, award-winning author Gail Jarrow delves into the fascinating story of the relationship between Garfield and Guiteau, and relates the gruesome details of Garfield's slow and agonizing death. She reveals medical mistakes made in the aftermath of Garfield's assassination, including the faulty diagnoses and outdated treatments that led to the president's demise. This gripping blend of science, history, and mystery -- the latest title in the Medical Fiascoes series -- is nonfiction for kids at its best: exciting and relevant and packed with plenty of villains and horrifying facts.

The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield

Ambushed!

Here is the fascinating true story of how food was made safer to eat thanks to the stubborn dedication of government chemist Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, whose hard work and determination led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Formaldehyde, borax, salicylic acid. Today, these chemicals are used in embalming fluids, cleaning supplies, and acne medications. But in 1900, they were routinely added to food that Americans ate from cans and jars. Often products weren't safe because unregulated, unethical companies added these and other chemicals to trick consumers into buying spoiled food or harmful medicines. Chemist Harvey Washington Wiley recognized these dangers and began a relentless thirty-year campaign to ensure that consumers could purchase safe food and drugs, eventually leading to the creation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. Acclaimed nonfiction and Sibert Honor winning author Gail Jarrow uncovers this intriguing history in her trademark style that makes the past enthrallingly relevant for today's young readers.

Fighting Danger and Fraud in Our Food and Drugs

The Poison Eaters

Traces the pellagra epidemic that spread throughout the American South a century ago, drawing on real-life cases to describe its physical and cultural impact as well as related medical reports, news articles and scientific investigations.

How a Medical Mystery Changed what We Eat

Red Madness

Uncovering the true story of America's first plague epidemic in 1900, this book is perfect to share with young readers looking for a historical perspective of the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic that is gripping the world today. In March 1900, San Francisco's health department investigated a strange and horrible death in Chinatown. A man had died of bubonic plague, one of the world's deadliest diseases. But how could that be possible? Acclaimed author and scientific expert Gail Jarrow brings the history of a medical mystery to life in vivid and exciting detail for young readers. She spotlights the public health doctors who desperately fought to end it, the political leaders who tried to keep it hidden, and the brave scientists who uncovered the plague's secrets. This title includes photographs and drawings, a glossary, a timeline, further resources, an author's note, and source notes. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens

When Plague Invaded America

Bubonic Panic

Describes the panic induced when listeners believed Orson Welles' radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" to be news of an alien invasion, discussing the context in which the broadcast was aired and why it was so convincing.

How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America

Spooked!

Presenting the amazing Harry Kellar: the first magician to receive international fame and the model for the Wizard of Oz! In this illustrated biography of the most well-known illusionist at the turn of the twentieth century, Author Gail Jarrow follows Kellar from a magician's assistant traveling and performing across the United States during the Civil War to an international superstar with a show of his own, entertaining emperors, kings, and presidents. Jarrow uses Kellar's own words and images—his amazing four-color promotional posters—to tell his riveting story in this first Kellar biography for young readers. And she reveals the science behind Kellar's illusions and explores nineteenth-century entertainment and transportation as well as the history of magic, spiritualism, and séances.

Great American Magician

The Amazing Harry Kellar

Kirkus Reviews Best Book Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year Meet Robert H. Jackson in an engaging biography, the first published in over fifty years. For four hours on November 21, 1945, the world watched and listened as Justice Robert H. Jackson, on leave from the U.S. Supreme Court, introduced the Allies' case against the high-ranking Nazi leadership at the Nuremberg Trial. For the first time, a country's leaders were being tried for war crimes, in large part owing to Jackson's efforts. Acclaimed author Gail Jarrow's biography Jackson details the personal journey of this extraordinary man from his childhood in rural New York; to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal inner circle during the Great Depression; to the position of attorney general while the nation prepared for World War II; to the Supreme Court bench when it ruled on such significant cases as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; and to chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trial. Despite his remarkable accomplishments, Jackson never attended college or earned a law degree. Using primary sources—including Jackson's papers in the Library of Congress and materials from the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York—Jarrow tells the fascinating story of a lawyer and judge dedicated to the rule of law. A timeline, bibliography, source notes, additional resources, and index are included.

New Deal Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice, Nuremberg Prosecutor

Robert H. Jackson

Thirteen-year-old Seth's determination to see a basketball game leads him to lie, the first action in a series of events that lead him to search for the identity of the hit-and-run driver who has injured his sister.

The Two-Ton Secret

Discusses the characteristics of hookworms, how they attach to a host and the problems they can cause, and explains various ways to control the worms and the diseases they cause.

Hookworms

Details the personal journey of an extraordinary man who never earned a law degree, from his childhood in rural New York, to FDR's New Deal inner circle during the Great Depression, to becoming chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trial.

Describes the contributions made to the Union's efforts in the Civil War by Thaddeus Lowe and a corps of hot air balloonists who helped spy on the Confederate army, despite becoming targets in the war themselves.

Thaddeus Lowe and the Civil War Balloon Corps

Lincoln's Flying Spies

Covers the trial of printer John Peter Zenger in New York in 1735 who was charged with libel against the British governor for his political criticisms, a case that led to a precedent that helped inspire the creation of the Bill of Right more than five decades later.

The Case of John Peter Zenger and the Fight for a Free Press

The Printer's Trial

Paul W. Sherman

Describes this strange-looking rodent which lives a social life in a system of tunnels under the brick-hard soil of East Africa.

Naked Mole-rats

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens In March 1900, San Francisco's health department investigated a strange and horrible death in Chinatown. A man had died of bubonic plague, one of the world's deadliest diseases. But how could that be possible? Bubonic Panic tells the true story of America's first plague epidemic—the public health doctors who desperately fought to end it, the political leaders who tried to keep it hidden, and the brave scientists who uncovered the plague's secrets. Once again, acclaimed author and scientific expert Gail Jarrow brings the history of a medical mystery to life in vivid and exciting detail for young readers. This title includes photographs and drawings, a glossary, a timeline, further resources, an author's note, and source notes.

Winner of the 2022 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Kirkus Reviews Best Book ★ "An unforgettable book." —School Library Journal, starred review This thrilling title for young readers blends science, history, and medical mysteries to tell the story of the assassination and ultimately horrible death of President James Garfield. James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was assassinated when he was shot by Charles Guiteau in July 1881, less than four months after he was elected president. But Garfield didn't actually die until 80 days later. In this page-turner, award-winning author Gail Jarrow delves into the fascinating story of the relationship between Garfield and Guiteau, and relates the gruesome details of Garfield's slow and agonizing death. She reveals medical mistakes made in the aftermath of Garfield's assassination, including the faulty diagnoses and outdated treatments that led to the president's demise. This gripping blend of science, history, and mystery—the latest title in the Medical Fiascoes series—is nonfiction for kids at its best: exciting and relevant and packed with plenty of villains and horrifying facts.

Away from her city routine, eleven-year-old S.B. gets caught up in a new friend's story of magic and intrigue, and learns to view life differently.

Beyond the Magic Sphere

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book An Orbis Pictus Recommended Book A CCBC Choice A Chicago Public Library Best Informational Book for Older Readers A NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book The science and grisly history of U.S. Civil War medicine, using actual medical cases and first-person accounts by soldiers, doctors, and nurses, is explored in this fascinating nonfiction book for young readers. The Civil War took the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and left countless others with disabling wounds and chronic illnesses. Bullets and artillery shells shattered soldiers' bodies, while microbes and parasites killed twice as many men as did the battles. Yet from this tragic four-year conflict came innovations that enhanced medical care in the United States. With striking detail, this book by acclaimed writer Gail Jarrow reveals battlefield rescues, surgical techniques, medicines, and patient care, and celebrates the men and women of both the North and South who volunteered to save lives.

The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease

Blood and Germs

Presenting the amazing Harry Kellar! The first magician to receive international fame! The most well-known illusionist at the turn of the twentieth century! The model for the Wizard of Oz! Author Gail Jarrow follows Kellar from a magician's assistant traveling and performing across the United States during the Civil War to an international superstar with a show of his own, entertaining emperors, kings, and presidents. Jarrow uses Kellar's own words and images—his amazing four-color promotional posters—to tell his riveting story in this first Kellar biography for young readers. And she reveals the science behind Kellar's illusions and explores nineteenth-century entertainment and transportation as well as the history of magic, spiritualism, and séances.

Gail Jarrow

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