(2) YA Before he actually had children, Bronson Alcott wondered, "Can parents limit ­outside influences and raise a perfect child?" Well, the answer was no. By the time second daughter Louisa was three and her older sister Anna was four, they were out of control. Louisa was a "brute" in the nursery, Mrs. Alcott was an emotional mess, and family life was a disaster. (Good to know there's hope for us all!) "Wild and ungovernable," Louisa threw food and pulled Anna's hair. As Louisa grew up, she loved racing through the park and sliding down bannisters. But being given freedom to play and dream; growing up in a house full of books; and having such Concord neighbors as ­Thoreau, Emerson, and Hawthorne nurtured the young, passionate girl--ultimately readying her to take on the literary world with Little Women. Noyes expertly places Alcott within the context of a chaotic and poverty-stricken family life and a confining and conventional Concord. An idealistic father, an overburdened mother, and three lively sisters provided the models for her characters in Little Women, published when she was thirty-five. Photographs--of Thoreau, Walden Pond, and John Brown--and reproductions of letters, magazine covers, and even a tintype of a Civil War drummer complement the text. Back matter includes an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) YA In mid-1800s America, a frenzy to acquire giant fossilized bones was primarily defined by two early paleontologists seemingly motivated more by selfish desires than altruistic efforts to set the natural history record straight. By providing alternate chapters for each man, Noyes reinforces their animosity by showing both sides, allowing readers to participate in the volley of their arguments. Deep green used in the page design suggests a primordial atmosphere. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) 4-6 Noyes uses Houdini's attempts to discredit the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Spiritualist movement as her entry point into the intriguing phenomenon. She provides historical context and relates incidents from Houdini's life, including his friendship with staunch believer Arthur Conan Doyle and his attempts to unmask "flimflammers." The book concludes that humans will believe in those fictions they wish to. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) YA Bly, determined to make her journalistic mark, accepts an assignment to go undercover inside the "lunatic asylum" on Blackwell's Island and report on its conditions. Noyes smartly uses this hook to engage readers, enriching this and Bly's other experiences (such as her around-the-world race) with well-placed sidebars and clips from Bly's articles. Part chronological, part expository, the strong biography allows readers to become investigators. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(2) YA In Florence for the summer, May is visited repeatedly by Cristofana, a sinister, inscrutable girl from the past who resembles May enough to be her identical twin. Cristofana has found a portal to the present day and would like nothing more than to switch places with May permanently. Writing in the third-person present tense, Noyes creates an eerie mood and limns a hauntingly vivid landscape.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(3) K-3 Illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone. As their names suggest, Prudence and Moxie have very different personalities. Their friendship grows, however, after level-headed Prudence half-persuades, half-dares the otherwise brash and fearless Moxie to overcome her trepidation about horses. Together, they go for a ride on Prudence's beloved steed, Thunder. Scribbly mixed-media illustrations lend a quirky, humorous tone to this entertaining tale of friendship.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) YA This collection of five linked ghost stories begins with Edith Wharton's "Kerfol" retold from the servant's perspective. Subsequent main characters include an artist in 1802, a 1926 party girl with a dark secret, an American couple in 1982, and, in 2006, a deaf gardener. Noyes grounds each entry in its time while maintaining the gothic atmosphere throughout.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(3) YA Concise, readable entries present beliefs and rituals regarding death and the afterlife from across time and cultures. Subjects range from funerary rites to forensic science, decomposition to spiritualism; even ordinarily squirm-inducing topics (such as decomposition) are discussed with authority, wit, and tact. Well-chosen photographs and engravings enhance both the information and the memento mori tone of the text. Websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Promised in marriage to a king in distant Khotan, a reluctant Chinese princess, already homesick, surreptitiously takes along part of her beloved homeland--silkworms and mulberry seeds--thereby carrying the secret of silk production to the outside world. Expansive Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations with a butterfly motif complement the lyrical first-person narrative. A historical note is appended.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) K-3 Illustrated by August Hall. Seven-year-old Bulu lives in an orphanage in India. When feral children Amala and Kamala arrive, Bulu tries to help. After Amala dies, Bulu overcomes her growing frustration to comfort Kamala. Hall's luminous acrylic illustrations are varied in tone, from deep browns to vibrant purples and greens. Touches of humor prevent the book from becoming overly heavy. An author's note is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(2) YA This book deals with ways in which humankind has historically viewed animals as well as presenting contemporary positions and future options. In an approach requiring critical thinking, teen readers are asked to consider the reasons individuals and societies have collected animals and to then reflect on the theoretical value and cost of each act. Handsome black-and-white photos allow for moments of contemplation. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. In seventeenth-century Holland, young Hana endeavors to raise her father's spirits as the over-inflated tulip market crashes and his crops become worthless. Noyes's heartfelt but overwrought prose complicates a complex subject, and the large cast of characters does little to enhance the story. Lush paintings reminiscent of the Dutch masters splendidly evoke period landscapes, homes, and costumes.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin