Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal

Product Description

One hundred years ago, the world celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. It was a miracle. Where a mountain once stood was now a path of water connecting the world's two largest oceans. But creating a miracle is no easy task. For only a few coins a day, teenagers Mateo and Henry endure homesickness, backbreaking labour, ferocious heat, landslides, and disease as they dig through the mountain with little more than a shovel. Thousands around them lose their lives, while displaced souls like local herb girl Anita, and the endangered rainforest itself, do what they can to survive. This verse novel tells the story of one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken.