"Terrible Typhoid Mary" tells the true story of Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant who became the first identified carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. Working as a cook in wealthy households, she unknowingly spread the disease to those she served, leading to numerous infections and several deaths. Public health officials sought to contain the outbreak, leading to her eventual isolation. The book explores themes of public health, personal freedom, and the stigma attached to being a carrier of disease. Through Mary's story, readers gain insight into the challenges faced by early epidemiologists and the complexities of balancing individual rights with community safety. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 5th grade-7th grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 10 years.

This book was published in 2015 by Dreamscape Media .

Susan Campbell Bartoletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of many books, both fiction and nonfiction, for children. Her fiction includes the novels The Boy Who Dared , Dear America: A Coal Miner's Bride , and No Man's Land , as well as a number of picture books. She won the Newbery Honor for her nonfiction book Hitler Youth . A former eighth-grade teacher for 18 years, Bartoletti now writes full-time and lives in Pennsylvania with her family.