{"product_id":"american-spirits-isbn-9781635928051","title":"American Spirits","description":"\u003cb\u003eFinalist, 2026 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults\u003cbr\u003eA Kirkus Reviews Best Book\u003cbr\u003eA New York Public Library Best Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003eCCBC Choices 2026\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCAN THE DEAD TALK TO THE LIVING?\u003c\/i\u003e Discover the astonishingly true story of Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox—the Civil War-era sisters and teen mediums who created the American séance. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA real-life ghost story for young adult readers interested in the supernatural, American history, and women’s rights!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eRap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/i\u003e The eerie sound was first heard in March of 1848 at the home of the Fox family in Hydesville, New York. The family’s two daughters, Kate and Maggie, soon discovered that they could communicate with the spirit that was making these uncanny noises; he told them he had been a traveling peddler who had been murdered. This strange incident, and the ones that followed, generated a media frenzy beyond anything the Fox sisters could have imagined. Kate and Maggie, managed (or perhaps manipulated) by their elder sister Leah, became famous spirit mediums, giving public exhibitions, and advising other celebrities of their day. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut were the Fox sisters legitimate? In the years that followed their rise, the Civil War killed roughly 1 in 4 soldiers, increasing the demand for contacting the dead. However, media campaigns against the sisters gathered steam as well...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis thrilling and mysterious true story from veteran author Barb Rosenstock (Caldecott Honor winner) will spark teens’ interest in American history, encourage media literacy, and reveal insights into the Civil War era, fake news, and women's rights.★ \"A biography of the Fox sisters, mysterious 19th-century mediums whose spirit circles led to the foundation of a new, highly influential religion... Rosenstock effectively and objectively presents historical facts alongside primary sources—journal entries, letters, newspaper clippings, photos—as she explores whether the Foxes truly experienced supernatural phenomena or whether it was a hoax all along. She also excels at integrating the larger social and historical context in which Spiritualism rose to prominence, drawing clear connections between the facts presented. A suspenseful, well-researched read filled with fascinating and evocative visuals.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"A detailed and engaging account of the Fox sisters, who started the 19th-century Spiritualist movement. Pages turn quickly with short chapters and Rosenstock’s intriguing ghost story–writing style. Extensive documentation is provided, ­including source notes, bibliography, and index. A great choice for teens who enjoy ghost stories and those interested in con artists or history. Recommended for all libraries.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Rosenstock, known for her award-winning informational picture books, turns to an older audience as she examines how the Fox sisters drove the Spiritualism movement in the nineteenth century. In meticulous detail… Rosenstock frames their rise and fall with the state of the nation, from deadly diseases to political divisions over slavery. By the end of this intriguing account, which is supported by copious source notes, readers must decide if the Fox sisters were mediums or tricksters, famous or infamous—or a bit of both.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“When the mysterious knocking began in the Fox family’s rural New York cottage in 1847, no one could have predicted that the Fox daughters and their claims of speaking to the dead would inspire an entire movement, one that intrigued believers and cynics alike for decades... this nonfiction account seeks neither to prove nor disprove those claims, instead remaining tightly focused on the Fox sisters, from their hopeful beginnings to their tragic later years... the story is mostly recounted in newspaper headlines, direct quotes from notable believers and skeptics, detailed recordings of the seances, and photographs, underscoring a major theme of the book: 'Maggie and Kate were both at the center of the story—and left out of it.' Society was happy to listen to the girls when they were shiny and new, but once the novelty wore off, it was just as happy to leave them behind with only the dead for company.”—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Recommended)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Fascinating... will captivate, thrill and educate YA readers.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrightly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Rosenstock evenhandedly explores the flawed methods used to ascertain the\u003cbr\u003etruth as well as offering pertinent discussions of confirmation bias, media influence, and the limited options available to mid-nineteenth-century women... Meticulously researched.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Horn Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Wondrous storytelling….well-researched and wonderfully readable….As she tells the sisters’ story, Barb Rosenstock provides some broader historical context and explores how reasonable people come to hold unlikely beliefs—a topic as relevant today as it was in 19th century America.”— \u003cb\u003eCaroline Carlson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Literary Hub\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The history of spiritualism is fascinating and Rosenstock explores all of its surreal manifestations: rapping, spirit writing, ghostly instrument playing, levitating furniture, and verbal communication with the dead. She carefully interweaves her account with more general history so that we can see connections between the sisters’ activities and the approaching Civil War, the limited opportunities for women, growing class divisions, a celebrity-obsessed popular press, and an increasing respect for science and empiricism... The book’s design is wonderful, featuring a goth-y black cover, thick pages, and amazing images. Great care has been taken in choosing and reproducing many period photos, maps, engravings, and letters, all of which ratchet up the story’s spookiness. A thoughtful author’s note at the end of the book outlines Rosenstock’s own final take on the Fox story and the research challenges she faced.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eYouth Services Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A prank blossoms into a nationwide phenomenon in this meticulously researched account of two acclaimed spiritualists... 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.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Cooperative Children’s Book Center, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gather around the table and dim the lights. \u003cb\u003eClap. Clap. Clap.\u003c\/b\u003e Do you hear that? It’s the sound of young readers applauding Barb Rosenstock’s \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e, a compelling, dramatic, wonderfully strange, yet entirely \u003ci\u003etrue\u003c\/i\u003e ghost story. Gullibility and fakery; obscurity and celebrity; religion, history and biography. It’s all here, and it’s utterly mesmerizing.” —\u003cb\u003eCandace Fleming, Sibert Medalist, winner of the LA Times Book Prize for Young People’s Literature, author of \u003ci\u003eMurder Among Friends \u003c\/i\u003eand other award-winning nonfiction and fiction for all ages. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The Fox sisters captivated their neighbors, friends, detractors, and all of America. This book will captivate readers—with great storytelling, rigorous research, the \u003ci\u003etruth\u003c\/i\u003e—and no trickery!” \u003cb\u003e—Deborah Heiligman, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction for \u003ci\u003eVincent and Theo\u003c\/i\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eCharles and Emma\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTorpedoed\u003c\/i\u003e, and other celebrated nonfiction. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Both a personal story of the three Fox sisters and a unique look at mid-nineteenth-century history, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spirits\u003c\/i\u003e has it all: rise to power, fame, greed, love, lost love, and fall from grace, all recounted blow by blow in the frenzied media coverage of the day.” \u003cb\u003e—Elizabeth Partridge, National Book Award Finalist, 2023 Sibert Medalist for \u003ci\u003eSeen and Unseen\u003c\/i\u003e, and author of more than a dozen award-winning books for young people.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBarb Rosenstock\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of many nonfiction books for young people, including \u003ci\u003eMornings With Monet\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFight of the Century\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePrairie Boy\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eDorothea’s Eyes\u003c\/i\u003e. Her picture book on Vasily Kandinsky, \u003ci\u003eThe Noisy Paint Box\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Caldecott Honor. Visit barbrosenstock.com.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003eFOOL’S EVE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat was that sound?\u003cbr\u003eHalf an hour after the light had been snuffed out, Maggie and\u003cbr\u003eKate Fox snuggled under the covers. On early spring nights in rural\u003cbr\u003eHydesville, New York, the chill dampness from Mud Creek seeped into\u003cbr\u003ea person’s bones should a foot, or a finger, escape thick layers of homemade\u003cbr\u003equilts. Maggie, fourteen, and Kate, who had just turned eleven,\u003cbr\u003epeered into the shadows near their parent’s bed across the room. Sure\u003cbr\u003eenough, there was Mother padding about in the darkness. Father relit\u003cbr\u003ethe candle and joined his wife in hunting for the cause of the odd noises.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe family had just moved in a few months ago, in early December\u003cbr\u003eof 1847. The rented cottage had just four rooms—bedroom, front room,\u003cbr\u003ekitchen, and buttery. Mother and Father crisscrossed the floorboards,\u003cbr\u003ewiggled the front door latch, listened to the individual creak of each stair,\u003cbr\u003eThey searched from the slanted loft down to the dirt cellar. Like\u003cbr\u003elast night, and every night of the past week, they found nothing that\u003cbr\u003emight make a strange rapping sound. Maggie and Kate watched their\u003cbr\u003eparents give up and climb back into bed. Father blew out the candle.\u003cbr\u003eMother closed her eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap.\u003c\/b\u003e A mystery.\u003cbr\u003eThe unsettling sounds continued night after night until Mother felt\u003cbr\u003e“almost sick.” The weather that spring of 1848 wouldn’t settle either.\u003cbr\u003eAfter a few warmer days, on March 29 it turned so cold that around\u003cbr\u003emidnight an ice wedge stopped the constant crash of New York’s Niagara\u003cbr\u003eFalls. Religious feeling had been whipped up by waves of Christian\u003cbr\u003erevivals throughout the western part of the state. In Niagara’s eerie\u003cbr\u003esilence, some of the newly faithful predicted miracles, others the world’s\u003cbr\u003eend.\u003cbr\u003eMaggie and Kate’s much older brother, David, stopped by that\u003cbr\u003eFriday, March 31. He tried to soothe Mother’s complaints about the\u003cbr\u003ehouse’s strange sounds. David reminded her that soon they’d be moving\u003cbr\u003eout of this tiny rental to a new home on his nearby peppermint farm.\u003cbr\u003eThe rappings were probably “the simplest things in the world.” Before\u003cbr\u003ehe returned to his wife and children, David told Mother to ignore the\u003cbr\u003enighttime noises and get a good night’s sleep.\u003cbr\u003eThe wind whistled across the marsh grasses that afternoon. Father\u003cbr\u003estayed in the front room with his Bible. Maggie, Kate, and Mother went\u003cbr\u003eto bed before the sun set. As the bedroom darkened . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFive minutes passed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKate sat up and snapped her fingers.\u003cbr\u003e“As fast as she made the noise with her hands or fingers, the sound\u003cbr\u003ewas followed up in the room,” Mother would later explain.\u003cbr\u003eSnap. Snap. Snap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the dim light, Maggie said, “Now do this just as I do. Count one,\u003cbr\u003etwo, three, four,” while clapping her hands.\u003cbr\u003eClap. Clap. Clap. Clap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWere the knocks responding?\u003c\/i\u003e Mother ordered, “Count ten.”\u003cbr\u003eTen raps sounded like a drumbeat.\u003cbr\u003eKate touched two of her fingers together, lightly, without making a\u003cbr\u003esound. Once, twice, three times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Only look, mother! It can see as well as hear!” said Kate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt? What was It? And what could It know about her family?\u003c\/i\u003e Mother\u003cbr\u003easked the night sounds to tell her the number of children she’d born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeven. Everyone knew the Fox family had six children—Leah, Maria,\u003cbr\u003eElizabeth, and David, now grown; Maggie and Kate, still at\u003cbr\u003ehome. Mr. and Mrs. Fox were lucky parents; about half of American\u003cbr\u003ebabies born in the mid-1800s died before their fifth birthday. There was\u003cbr\u003eno protection from common childhood illness like tuberculosis, rheumatic\u003cbr\u003efever, diphtheria, or whooping cough. But the Foxes hadn’t entirely\u003cbr\u003eescaped that all-too-common tragedy. They’d buried a stillborn baby\u003cbr\u003eyears back. No one in Hydesville knew. Seven was the correct number.\u003cbr\u003eStunned, Mother asked the night air if the mysterious sounds were\u003cbr\u003emade by a human. The answer? Total silence.\u003cbr\u003eThen Mother asked, “Is it a spirit?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHearing his girls’ voices, Father entered the bedroom. He found\u003cbr\u003ehis wife convinced that she was speaking to an invisible presence from\u003cbr\u003ebeyond the grave. Mother Fox later insisted she was “not a believer in\u003cbr\u003ehaunted houses or supernatural Appearances.” But a mystic strain ran\u003cbr\u003ethrough Mother’s extended family. Her sister had visions of her future\u003cbr\u003eheadstone, and her mother was known to fall into a dreamlike state and\u003cbr\u003epredict neighbors’ funerals weeks before their deaths took place.\u003cbr\u003eMaggie and Kate knew these family tales. Like most young people\u003cbr\u003eof their time, the sisters also grew up with popular ghost stories like\u003cbr\u003eauthor Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and\u003cbr\u003eMethodist founder John Wesley’s family haunt, “Old Jeffrey.” Ghosts\u003cbr\u003ewere everywhere in nineteenth-century America. Now, it seemed, the\u003cbr\u003eFox family had one of their very own.\u003cbr\u003eMother intended to find out what this particularly noisy spirit wanted.\u003cbr\u003eBy asking simple yes or no questions, listening for raps or silences,\u003cbr\u003eMother learned that their spirit was a man. He’d been fatally injured\u003cbr\u003ein the Fox family’s cottage. She asked how old he was when he died.\u003cbr\u003eThirty-one raps sounded, one right after the other.\u003cbr\u003eMother asked, “Will this noise continue if I call in my neighbors?”\u003cbr\u003eA pause, and then . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe sent her husband into the cold night to a nearby neighbor, Mrs.\u003cbr\u003eRedfield.\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Mary Redfield hadn’t known the family long; but she’d run\u003cbr\u003einto the girls on the main road a few days back. \u003ci\u003eSuch friendly, pretty\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003egirls!\u003c\/i\u003e Maggie had brown hair, dark eyes; skin like a porcelain doll.\u003cbr\u003eRaven-haired Kate’s best feature was her unusual gray-violet eyes. They\u003cbr\u003ewere “smart girls, bright, full of life.” The girls had told Mrs. Redfield\u003cbr\u003esome wide-eyed tale about hearing strange sounds in the night.\u003cbr\u003eMary Redfield knew the parents, Peggy and John Fox, to be sensible\u003cbr\u003efolk. She hadn’t given Maggie and Kate’s silly story a second thought.\u003cbr\u003eYet, here was John Fox at her door, after dark, insisting that\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Redfield listen to these strange sounds immediately. Mary Redfield\u003cbr\u003egrabbed a wrap and followed her good neighbor out into the cold, spring\u003cbr\u003enight. She expected to endure a few minutes of foolishness with the Fox\u003cbr\u003egirls and be in bed before nine.\u003cbr\u003eInstead, she found Maggie and Kate Fox in bed, clinging together,\u003cbr\u003e“much frightened.” Their mother, Mrs. Peggy Fox, was sitting on the\u003cbr\u003ebed, her face unearthly pale. To comfort the woman, Mrs. Redfield sat\u003cbr\u003ebeside her.\u003cbr\u003e“Now count five,” she heard Peggy mumble.\u003cbr\u003eMary Redfield realized that Peggy Fox was talking to the night air.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe poor woman has lost her reason\u003c\/i\u003e, Mary thought. Then, she heard\u003cbr\u003ea rhythm, like a beating heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Count fifteen,” said Peggy.\u003cbr\u003eFifteen raps shook the bedstead. Mary both heard the sounds and\u003cbr\u003efelt them jar her bones. \u003ci\u003eWhat in this room could be making such a powerful\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003esound?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeggy Fox asked the spirit to give Mary Redfield’s age.\u003cbr\u003eThirty-three raps sounded one right after the other. Correct. Mary\u003cbr\u003eruffled through the possibilities. Who knew her exact age except her\u003cbr\u003ehusband?\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Redfield took over the questioning, “If you are an injured\u003cbr\u003espirit, manifest it by three raps.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe repeated several questions trying to prove that the raps sounded\u003cbr\u003erandomly. All were answered correctly, same as before. After an hour or\u003cbr\u003eso with the rappings, Mrs. Redfield agreed, a spirit had indeed entered\u003cbr\u003ethe Fox family’s humble cottage.\u003cbr\u003eAcross the bedroom, Maggie and Kate trembled. Mrs. Redfield\u003cbr\u003econsoled them. She told the girls they would not be harmed. As a\u003cbr\u003eChristian, Mary trusted that this spirit was from God. In one of the\u003cbr\u003eearliest accounts of that night’s events, Kate replied, “we are innocent—\u003cbr\u003ehow good it is to have a clear conscience.”\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Redfield didn’t ask Kate why her conscience was bothered.\u003cbr\u003eThen again, it’s hard to think straight when talking to a dead man.\u003cbr\u003eMrs. Redfield fetched her husband. When they returned, loud raps\u003cbr\u003eagain echoed about the Fox home. As the night went on, the Redfields\u003cbr\u003ebrought their neighbors, who brought other neighbors. Question by\u003cbr\u003equestion, guess after guess, the small group learned further details of the\u003cbr\u003espirit’s story.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe spirit had been a traveling peddler.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe peddler had been murdered.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHis throat was cut with a butcher knife! He’d been robbed of $500!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow many years ago? \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eRap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMidnight brought a new day, Saturday, April 1. At least a dozen\u003cbr\u003eof the Fox family’s neighbors remained crammed in the house, asking\u003cbr\u003equestions and receiving rapped answers. Like Mary Redfield, they came\u003cbr\u003eanticipating a bit of nighttime fun, until the raps correctly answered\u003cbr\u003epersonal questions about family members, living \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e dead. In the early\u003cbr\u003emorning hours, the rappings simply stopped. The rumors about the two\u003cbr\u003egirls who had first talked to the peddler’s spirit were just getting started.","brand":"Calkins Creek","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302913462501,"sku":"NP9781635928051","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781635928051.jpg?v=1767721443","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/american-spirits-isbn-9781635928051","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}