The Great Trouble

The Great Trouble: A Mystery Of London, The Blue Death, And A Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson, 249 pages

Eel, on the run from a terrible stepfather, has managed to carve out a pretty good life for himself in London. He’s got a job at a brewery which also provides him with a place to live and he manages to hire himself out for a couple of other people to make some extra cash. He does this because he’s got a secret. He pays to keep his younger brother hidden from their stepfather in a boarding house but, worried that someone might let the information slip, he doesn’t tell anyone, even his friends. Unfortunately, Eel’s life is about to get complicated. Accused of stealing, he loses his position at the brewery and at the same time, cholera, known as the blue death, breaks out on the street. Everyone knows that bad air causes the illness, but Dr. Snow, one of the people that Eel works for, has a different theory. He thinks that it’s caused by contaminated water and he wants Eel’s help to prove it. An exciting adventure story that is also historical fiction, this would be a fun read for many upper elementary kids.