Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids: Mighty Muckrakers from the Golden Age to Today, with 21 Activities

Gr 4–6—This illuminating book covers the life and career of Nellie Bly (1864–1922) as well as profiling other reform-minded journalists, including Jacob Riis, Ida B. Wells, and Upton Sinclair. Mahoney's descriptive writing informs without overwhelming. Excerpts from the writings of the journalists are woven into the book, offering a taste of the vivid, sensationalized text characteristic of the muckraking genre. Readers will get a rich sense of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when mentally ill patients endured abuse, racial and gender prejudices were flagrant, and many suffered through dire poverty. A dozen activities scattered throughout the text are weak additions, lacking strong relational ties to the content. For instance, the Ida Tarbell chapter includes information on making yogurt parfait because "if [Tarbell] did splurge for a treat, she may have had a delicious dessert called a parfait." The vivid illustrations consist of period photos and ephemera.