To the rescue! cover

To the rescue!

by Monica Kulling

Shares the inspirational story of African-American inventor Garrett Morgan, whose incredible safety hood became a forerunner to the gas masks that saved thousands of soldiers during World War I. In 1911, 146 workers died in the shocking Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Morgan decided to invent a safety hood for firefighters-- but people weren't interested in buying his safety hood when they discovered its inventor was black. When an explosion trapped workers in a tunnel under Lake Erie in 1916, his hoods were rushed to the scene and used to rescue as many men as possible. Developed further, Garrett's invention came to save thousands of soldiers from chlorine gas in the trenches of World War I.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?