Eiffel's Tower for Young People

April 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Paris is synonymous with the Eiffel Tower, but who was Eiffel? And when did his iconic tower appear in Paris? Jonnes takes readers back to 1884, when railroad and bridge builder Gustave Eiffel proposed his 1000 ft. tower to the government of France as the pièce de résistance to the 1889 World's Fair. The Eiffel Tower would be the tallest human-made structure in the world. The author follows Eiffel and his contemporaries through their triumphs and defeats, from the planning of the World's Fair through its end six months later and beyond. The lives of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, Vincent Van Gogh and more intersected to create a showcase of technology, art, drama, history, and innovation in Paris. Jonnes weaves these stories into a fascinating biography of Gustave Eiffel, the man, and Eiffel, the tower. The presentation includes a helpful list of characters and numerous photographs to give readers context. Eiffel's engineering feat, today a symbol of the city of Paris, was met with criticism, skepticism, disbelief, and more-but Eiffel persevered and what resulted still stands today. VERDICT Recommended for middle and high school and public library collections.-Lia Carruthers, Gill St. Bernard's School, Gladstone, NJ

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