Gunpowder Girls: The True Stories of Three Civil War Tragedies

An acclaimed gem of hidden history, Gunpowder Girls is a story of child labor, immigrant hopes, and the endless demands of a cruel war.

With thousands of men off fighting in the Civil War, the government hired women and girls — some as young as ten — to make millions of rounds of ammunition. Poor immigrant girls and widows paid the price for carelessness at three major arsenals. Many of these workers were killed, blown up and burned beyond recognition.

As Steve Sheinkin did with The Port Chicago 50, Tanya Anderson in Gunpowder Girls tells an amazing war story that finally gives its subjects their due. Hidden history comes alive through primary-source research and page-turning narrative.

A Junior Library Guild Selection