Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Pascoe describes 11 notable hoaxes, several of which involve some famous names. In the ninteenth century, P. T. Barnum, master of the bogus, made people believe in a mermaid. Edgar Allan Poe offered a false newspaper report describing a transatlantic balloon flight, and he promoted a machine that supposedly created energy by releasing luminiferous ether. The twentieth century brought hoaxes such as the 1917 fairies in the garden photo that fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Piltdown Man fossil fraud, film footage of Bigfoot, and crop circles in England. Cartoonlike drawings with blue shading give pages a jaunty air, though at times readers might have preferred photos of the phenomena discussed. Those motivated to search for photos, further facts, or other examples of fakes can start with the appended lists of recommended books and Internet sites. Clearly written, the text begins and ends with a discussion that warns about passing along false stories, pictures, and viruses via the Internet. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Pascoe employs a light tone to describe 11 pranks and frauds perpetrated in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of the stories will be familiar to fans of historical oddities. The Fejee Mermaid, the Cardiff Giant, the Piltdown Man, fairy photographs, Bigfoot, and crop circles have been the subjects of similar works, such as Alex Boese's The Museum of Hoaxes (Penguin, 2003) and Judith Herbst's Hoaxes (Lerner, 2004). Like other volumes on this subject, this one includes a few lesser-known items including the New York Sun's report of the first East to West Atlantic balloon crossing in 1844, a report submitted by a struggling journalist named Edgar Allan Poe. What is not as common in other works on the topic are the clear explanations of who thought of the hoaxes and how and why they developed them. A list of six similar titles from the 1990s and another of nine Web sites that track current hoaxes or describe historical ones are appended. Keller's silly cartoon illustrations help maintain a light tone. Entertainment that encourages healthy skepticism makes this title a winner.-Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Bigfoot, the missing link, and Snowball the giant cat are featured among these eleven famous frauds from the past two centuries. The role of technology and the motivation behind each deception are points of interest. The exaggerated cartoon drawings add humor but don't do justice to the bizarre reality of the hoaxes. A reading list and websites accompany the accessible text. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From Edgar Allan Poe's bogus newspaper report of a balloon flight across the Atlantic to the heartrending blog of a fictional dying teen, "Kaycee Nicole Swenson," Pascoe reports on over a dozen sensation-creating hoaxes perpetrated over the past two centuries. Writing in a "can you believe this?" tone of the Cardiff Giant and Piltdown Man, of Bigfoot and crop circles, of John Worrell Keely's "ether" driven motor and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fairies, she concludes that people will continue to believe, even after the hoax is exposed, if the story is good enough. Keller's loopy cartoons add comic inflections, but photographic illustrations would have underscored the reality of these historical episodes. Still, naïve young readers will find both entertainment and food for thought here. (generous, partly annotated, resource list) (Nonfiction. 9-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
