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Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers: Secrets, Strange Tales, and Hidden Facts about the Roaring 20s
Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers: Secrets, Strange Tales, and Hidden Facts about the Roaring 20s
Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers: Secrets, Strange Tales, and Hidden Facts about the Roaring 20s
Ebook233 pages2 hours

Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers: Secrets, Strange Tales, and Hidden Facts about the Roaring 20s

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this ebook

Blind pigs, speakeasies, coffin varnish, and tarantula juice were all a part of the Roaring 20s. Making alcohol illegal didn't get rid of bars and taverns or crime bosses: They just went underground. Secret joints were in almost every large city and could be entered if you knew the right code words. Discover the crazy language and secret codes of the Prohibition Era--why you should mind your beeswax and watch out for the gumshoe talking to the fuzz or you might end up in the cooler! It's all part of the true stories from the Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers. Take a look if you dare, but be careful! Some secrets are meant to stay hidden...

LanguageEnglish
PublisherSourcebooks
Release dateOct 1, 2015
ISBN9781618215116
Top Secret Files: Gangsters and Bootleggers: Secrets, Strange Tales, and Hidden Facts about the Roaring 20s

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Reviews for Top Secret Files

Rating: 4.176470588235294 out of 5 stars
4/5

17 ratings7 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A solid introduction to gangsters and bootleggers during the 20s for kids. It includes pictures, mini-bios, lots of general information, a slang dictionary, and a great bibliography. There's also a couple of DIY kids' projects. A good book for any library, student interested in this subject, or just for a fun read.LT Early Reviewer
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This would be a great book for an advanced elementary reader up to eleven or twelve. It´s a good, readable, consistently interesting and exciting collection of bite-sized facts and stories about the Prohibition era. Because of the subject matter, some of the content might worry parents of children toward the younger end of the range (though I'm sure the children would eat it up) and some of the other material writes around the historical truth - especially with the more sexual elements - in slightly awkward ways.The design in the book - the Art Deco flourishes, and the way the sections are arranged against each other - was great, though I was't very impressed by the bright-orange-on-pale blue text in a lot of the sidebars and captions, from a readability point of view.Activities and crafts are scattered through the book. Their quality varies. Some of them - like mazes and wordfinds - are pretty uninspired, and also require writing in the book, which I don´t like in a book that's otherwise set up to be re-read. Some of the others were really good, however.I will be passing it on to my more appropriately-aged cousins without hesitation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In "Gangster's and Bootleggers" Stephanie Bearce has turned out another great little book in her "Top Secret Files" series. It is full of fascinating facts and stories about the "Roaring 20s" time period in American History. I don't know anyone who has not experienced some fascination with John Dillinger or Al Capone but have you ever heard of "The man in the Green Hat", Bugs Moran, Lucky Lucania, Cleo Lythgoe, or Kathryn Thorne just to name a few. Stephanie covers a host of both well known and lesser known criminals of the period. She also covers the lingo and slang of the Prohibition Period that was popular at the time. Crime fighters of the period like Elliot Ness and the Untouchables and the team of Izzy and Moe are also given space in her book. This book is geared for younger readers and as such I would recommend adult guidance in discussing the consequences that go along with many of the lifestyles described. This book is a good read for older readers too as it is full of many little know facts of the Prohibition Period.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It is a nice, short read. This would be high interest to a low-level reader. There is a lot of information in this little book and it is broken up into sections to make it more managable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun book on gangsters meant for probably late grade school age readers. Received this as an Early Review Copy. Features numerous gangsters that we would all be familiar with from popular media, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Lucky Luciano. Also gives some basic background information on speakeasies, flappers, bath tub gin, and moonshining. Again keep in mind that this is meant for a grade school age audience. Author has also included some fun activities for kids, how to make your own race car out of paper, a speed boat for the bathtub and fun games that children might have played back in the 1920's.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is just the type of book I would've scooped up and devoured when I was in the later grades of elementary schools (and, in fact, did read all the books like this I could find). All kinds of interesting and neat historical tidbits about that era we just can't get enough of - the Prohibition 1920s and the Gangster 1930s. They're all here - Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, the Valentine's Day Massacre, speakeasies, bootleggers, G-men, codebreakers, etc., etc. I even learned about some people I had never heard of.There are photos and jazzy illustrations on every page, and the author has added in fun games such as how to make your own wanted poster and how to create your own code (for the next time you need some jack to take your flapper to the juice joint). The librarian in me also gives a nod to the author's references to books, websites, and youtube videos for the kids to further investigate.A fun, fun read for any kid who loves history. (Part of a series, the other books are probably just as fun)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was an Early Reviewer copy. This book has fun projects and graphics in addition to interesting text. This was a great little history book. Bonnie and Clyde, Capone, and Eliot Ness and the Untouchables are just a few of the historical persons featured. This is a fabulous series. I only hope they manage to get them on the Accelerated Reader list.

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Top Secret Files - Stephanie Bearce

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