It wasn’t long before she was skulking around Warren and Murray Streets, looking for the site of Devlin’s department store, and seeking out Boss Tweed’s grave in Greenwood Cemetery. Shana Corey has written several picture books, among them Here Come the Girl Scouts!, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer, which the New York Times called “a picture book girls are likely to love.” She has always been intrigued by New York City history, so when she came across a passing mention of Alfred Ely Beach’s underground train, she wanted to know more.

The Secret Subway will wow readers, just as Beach’s underground train wowed riders over a century ago. On February 26, 1870, after fifty-eight days of drilling and painting and plastering, Beach unveiled his masterpiece-and throngs of visitors took turns swooshing down the track.

That is, until Alfred Ely Beach had the idea for a fan-powered train that would travel underground. You see, way back in 1860, there were no subways, just cobblestone streets. New York City in the 1860s was a mess: crowded, disgusting, filled with garbage. From an acclaimed author and a New York Times Best Illustrated artist comes the fascinating, little-known-and true!-story of New York City’s first subway.

The Secret Subway by Shana Corey