By Barb Rosenstock
Calkins Creek / Astra, 2025
304 pages
978-1-63592-805-1
Age 14 and older
A prank blossoms into a nationwide phenomenon in this meticulously researched account of two acclaimed spiritualists. In Hydesville, New York, in 1848, unexplained rapping noises in the Fox family home, interpreted as messages from a murdered peddler buried in the cellar, draw widespread attention. Maggie (14) and Kate (11) are the only ones able to communicate with the spirit. Taking advantage of their sudden notoriety, the girls—along with their older sister, Leah—begin touring cities to hold séances for wealthy, astonished clients, many of whom long to communicate with deceased family members. Their long-term popularity spurs the birth of the Modern Spiritualist movement; over the years, Maggie, Kate, and other mediums expand their repertoire to include not only an alphabet and rapping noises but automatic writing, levitations, and apparitions. Years of constant work, fame, and public scrutiny, however, take a heavy toll on the two women. Maggie’s partner’s family views her work as disreputable and refuses to accept her. Both sisters abuse alcohol, and Kate nearly loses custody of her sons. Along with liberal use of intriguing visuals, the author examines the news media’s sensationalized portrayal of the women’s work and personal lives, the psychology of belief in Spiritualism, and expectations of and opportunities available to women at the time. While the account concludes with Maggie’s confession that the seances were hoaxes, the Author’s Note invites readers to draw their own conclusions about the Fox sisters’ controversial work. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center