Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge

On a warm spring day in 1883, a woman rode across the Brooklyn Bridge with a rooster on her lap.

It was the first trip across an engineering marvel that had taken nearly fourteen years to construct. The woman's husband was the chief engineer, and he knew all about the dangerous new technique involved. The woman insisted she learn as well.

When he fell ill mid-construction, her knowledge came in handy. She supervised every aspect of the project while he was bedridden, and she continued to learn about things only men were supposed to know:

math,
science,
engineering.

Women weren't supposed to be engineers.

But this woman insisted she could do it all, and her hard work helped to create one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.

This is the story of Emily Roebling, the secret engineer behind the Brooklyn Bridge, from author-illustrator Rachel Dougherty.

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Published: 02/19/2019
Pages: 40
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.10h x 10.20w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781250155320
Age: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.5
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 504859 / Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2018
Publishers Weekly 01/07/2019
School Library Journal 05/10/2019 pg. 1

About the Author
Rachel Dougherty is the illustrator of such nonfiction picture books as Your Life as a Cabin Attendant on the Titanic, Your Life as a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail, and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Pennsylvania. She is a lifelong history buff and has always paid special attention to brave and commanding women. Secret Engineer is the first picture book she has both written and illustrated. She lives in Philadelphia