Books with author Marlene Targ Brill

During the mid-1800s, thousands of girls and boys worked all day, six days a week, in textile mills around the country. One of the biggest mills was Amoskeag, in New Hampshire. This was the mill where young Margaret Knight and her family worked. Like her coworkers, Margaret was deeply troubled by the dangerous looms and deadly accidents that occurred so often. Margaret determined to invent something to make the looms safer. But in 1850, it wasn't easy for a twelve-year-old girl to prove she could make a difference. This story of a brave girl inventor was a 2002 National Council of Social Studies/Children's Book Council Notable Trade Book.

Most areas are prone to flooding now and then, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is no exception. But in May 1889, a dam burst following heavy rains, and the people of Johnstown were in the path of something shocking and tragic. Find out what happened when a gushing wall of water swept over the town and the people in it. Could anyone survive such a devastating disaster?

On a ranch in California . . . a boy dreams of becoming a pony express rider. California, early 1860s. Julius loves horses so much that he leaves his job as a sailor to work on a ranch. He is so good at taming horses that the other men at the ranch call him Bronco Charlie. He wants to become a pony express rider, but everyone tells him he’s too young. When a pony express horse gallops into town without its rider, Charlie volunteers to take his place. Can Charlie deliver the mail and prove his worth as a rider?

He was only a drummer boy, but Orion Howe’s courage under fire helped General Sherman break the Rebel hold on Vicksburg. It is April, 1861, and there is talk of war in the Howes’ Illinois home. When President Lincoln asks for more soldiers, Orion’s father and brother enlist. Hating to be left behind, twelve-year-old Orion soon joins them to be a drummer boy in the Union Army. As the war wears on, Orion bravely endures hunger, sickness, and fatigue, facing battles with nothing but his drum and sticks. But the biggest test of his courage is yet to come.On May 19, 1863, Orion’s company is pinned down outside Vicksburg under heavy fire. Colonel Malmborg sends him to request more ammunition. Suddenly Orion is struck in the leg by enemy fire. Can he still get to the rear wagons? When he runs into General Sherman, will he remember the message he has been sent to deliver?Diary of a Drummer Boy is a fictionalized diary based on the true story of Orion Howe, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. A beautifully illustrated introduction to the Civil War for students too young for more graphic depictions. From reviews of a previous edition:School Library Journal: “This imagined journal...has the tone of nonfiction. Garland’s full-page illustrations are simply stunning...This picture book is perfect for students too young for more graphic depictions of the Civil War…”Booklist: “[This] book will serve as a lively, vivid introduction to the Civil War, particularly as a short book to read aloud or have students read aloud in classrooms.” A National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young PeopleAmazon categories:Historical fiction, Military & WarsHistorical fiction, US, 1800s