American Spirits

Can the dead talk to the living? This true story follows Maggie, Kate and Leah Fox, sisters who became teenage mediums and helped create the American séance. It is written for young adult readers drawn to the supernatural, American history and women's rights.

The story begins in March 1848 with an eerie rapping sound in the Fox family home in Hydesville, New York. The family's two younger daughters, Kate and Maggie, found they could communicate with whatever was making the noises. The spirit told them he was a traveling peddler who had been murdered. That strange episode, and those that followed, set off a media frenzy far beyond anything the sisters could have imagined.

Managed, or perhaps manipulated, by their elder sister Leah, Kate and Maggie became famous spirit mediums. They gave public demonstrations and advised other celebrities of the day. The question that hangs over the book is whether the Fox sisters were legitimate. As their fame grew, so did the demand for contact with the dead, since the Civil War killed roughly one in four soldiers. Media campaigns against the sisters were gathering strength as well.

Barb Rosenstock, a veteran author and Caldecott Honor winner, presents a thrilling and mysterious account that aims to spark teens' interest in American history. It also encourages media literacy and offers insight into the Civil War era, fake news and women's rights.