The Great Wheel

Written by Robert Lawson

A young man's journey west leads him to the creation of the world's largest Ferris wheel.

3.9 Goodreads · 1,952 ratings

192 pages· 34,695 words· Est. 4 hour read· 990L

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Bookroo's summary

Conn Kilroy leaves his Irish village, driven by a fortune's promise and a letter from his uncle. In New York, opportunity knocks, but it's Chicago where destiny calls. Joining his uncle Patrick, Conn becomes part of the team building the first Ferris wheel, a marvel for the 1893 World's Fair. As the wheel rises, so do the stakes. Will Conn's dreams align with the wheel's ascent, or will ambition lead him astray? Discover the challenges and triumphs of a young man chasing greatness in a world on the brink of change.

From the publisher

Newbery Honor book Your fortune lies to the west. Keep your face to the sunset . . . and one day you’ll ride the greatest wheel in all the world. When Aunt Honora reads this fortune in his tea leaves, Conn Kilroy knows he is destined for greater things than his small Irish village can offer. A letter from his uncle Michael in America offering Conn a partnership in his New York contracting company sets Conn on his western adventure. Just a few short months later Conn’s Uncle Patrick lures him even farther west to Chicago, where they join the hardworking crew building what some called Ferris’s Folly-the first Ferris wheel-then the largest wheel in the world and the showpiece of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.