What Was the Plague?

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Oh, rats! It’s time to take a deeper look at what caused the Black Death—the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history.

While the coronavirus COVID-19 changed the world in 2020, it still isn’t the largest and deadliest pandemic in history. That title is held by the Plague. This disease, also known as the “Black Death,” spread throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe in the fourteenth century and claimed an astonishing 50 million lives by the time it officially ended. Author Roberta Edwards takes readers back to these grimy and horrific years, explaining just how this pandemic began, how society reacted to the disease, and the impact it left on the world.

With 80 black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest additon to Who HQ!

Series Overview: A natural expansion of the exceptional Who Was? series, What Was? focuses on compelling historical events, great battles, protests, and discoveries.

About the Author

Roberta Edwards has written several books for young readers. She lives in New York, New York.

Author Residence: New York, NY