About this ebook
Read about her early beginnings as a 15-year-old girl who traveled alone from Ireland to New York. There she had to find a job, so she began work as a servant. After several years she worked her way up to being a cook, and people said she was a great cook. Mary had no trouble finding jobs, until the families she worked for started catching typhoid.
Suddenly Mary was arrested and sent to an island. There she was tied to a hospital bed and forced to give samples of her blood, urine and feces for the doctors to test on. She was being used to test all kinds of drugs.
Finally one of the newspapers took her side, along with many people. The Health Department decided that if Mary agreed not to cook for people, they would set her free.
Mary agreed. She got a job working in a laundry, but it was hard work and didn't pay enough. Mary was cold and starving. She also believed she had never had typhoid and that she was simply chosen by the Health Department to run tests on because she was all alone in America. No one would fight for her. So Mary decided to fight for herself. She changed her name and went back to work as a cook.
Find out what happens when typhoid shows up at Mary's new job and the Health Department is called in again!
Educational versions have CCSS activities.
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About the author
Caitlind Alexander is the author of over 60 books for children, including the Jamie and Kendall Broderick Mystery series, the Wonderful World of Animals Series, the Miss Jones series and a number of books in the 14 Fun Facts and 101 Fun Facts series. Caitlind is also an accomplished speaker. She has given numerous talks to children and school classes. She also gives talks and seminars for writers on topics ranging from creating believable characters to publishing e-books. She lives in California where she loves to visit historic places and learn about new things. She also loves to travel and has been all over the world.
