Braving a torrential thunderstorm, 15-year-old Kate Shelley crawls across a treacherous railroad bridge to warn an oncoming train of a wash-out ahead. Rhythm and tension combine to create a thrilling story for beginning readers of all ages. Based on a true incident which occurred in 1881, a useful afterword adds an extra note of interest: although she received one hundred dollars, a gold medal, and a lifetime railway pass, the heroine's favorite honor was that of being left off in front of her own house whenever she rode the train home. (Ages 7-10)

Kate stared at the rickety wooden bridge. There were boards loose on its narrow walkway. There was no railing to hold on to. She was afraid to cross this bridge even in daylight. But she had to cross it now. She had to get to the train station in time to stop the midnight express. When a heavy storm destroyed the bridge over Honey Creek, near Kate Shelley's home in Moingona, Iowa, fifteen-year-old Kate bravely rushed out into the storm, saving the lives of two men and preventing hundreds of other lives from being lost. This is the true story of a young girl's resourcefulness and courage in the face of great danger.