Sky High: George's Big Ferris Wheel

Reviewed by: Melissa Madigan - Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 8, 2016

Review

Sky High is the true story of George Ferris, the inventor of the very first Ferris Wheel. It begins with his childhood in Nevada in 1867, where he was continually fascinated with and (years later) inspired by a waterwheel on the Carson River near his home. The next few pages briefly outline several major milestones throughout his life, from college graduation to being offered his dream job as an engineer and subsequently opening his own business. The bulk of the book, however, focuses on his goals of building the wheel for the 1893 Chicago World Fair, where he enters a competition to design and build something extraordinary. The story does a nice job detailing both his perseverance and setbacks during this undertaking. The illustrations show, piece by piece, the initial design of the project as well as it's eventual construction, ending with the ultimately successful World Fair premier. Interesting topic and history lesson for children and adults alike; appropriate for independent readers who are comfortable tackling new words and longer sentences/paragraphs. Good story overall.

Overall Book Score: very good