A fun, high-stakes true crime story story set in the Wild West, featuring spot art and comics throughout. Perfect for fans of MONA LISA VANISHES!
"Steve Sheinkin is more than an author―he’s a time traveler whose deep research and fabulous writing whisk readers on thrilling rides through history. Kids will be transfixed by this unbelievable-but-true story of Gilded Age diamond hunters, swindlers, and train robbers. It is one of my absolute favorites!" ―Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the I SURVIVED series
Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman’s office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They’ve got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it’s…
DIAMONDS! And lots of them.
Had these two miners just discovered America’s first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.
When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control―but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West―will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?
In this page-turning, high-stakes western adventure, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Steve Sheinkin tells the true story of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, a rollicking tale of heists and hijinks, scams and scoundrels―and the last-minute triumph of a most unlikely hero.---from the publisher
256 pages 978-1250265746 Ages 9-12
Keywords: narrative non-fiction, true crime 19th century, mining, greed, intrigue, travel, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, If You Liked Mona Lisa Vanishes, American Wild West
*****
Other reviews:
"A rollicking―and well-researched―adventure story... A sparkling accomplishment. " ― Kirkus, starred review
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True Crime books are very popular with my students now, and I've even been surprised at how many of my students will read Day and Helquist's The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity. While I love history, I'm not as big a fan of true Crime, and while I enjoy mysteries, I am rubbish at keeping all of the clues straight.
Diamond Fever will be a popular choice for nonfiction projects, and comes in at 256 pages, which meets the "over 200 pages" requirements. I could give a synopsis of all of the characters and the back and forth of the story, but since there is a list complete with thumbnails of the participants at the front of the book, there are just too many characters for me.
Suffice it to say, there were two very wily and somewhat evil men, cousins Philip Arnold and John Slack, who is 1871 put in place a very elaborate hoax that there was a diamond mine somewhere in the west. They got all manner of well respected men drawn into the hoax, and strung them along for years, trying to get legal rights to the mine so they could see stocks. There were even some British connections to this, and men like Charles Lewis Tiffany and Henry Janin were involved. Land was salted with diamonds and rubies that were probably bought in London, and it took a government surveyor, Clarence King, to uncover the hoax. This no doubt was covered sensationally in the newspapers, and I sort of want to travel to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to see the Arnold sites.
Students will enjoy the travels, the intrigue, and the snarky tone that Sheinkin employs. Even narrative nonfiction can be a little dry, and when you're working on a project for a month or more, it's good to have an engaging title. This will be right up there with Fleming's The Curse of the Mummy and Seiple's Byrd and Igloo for handing to students who are reluctant to read nonfiction. The inclusion of comic style panels throughout won't hurt!---from the publisher
Recommended by: Karen Yingling, Teacher Librarian, Ohio USA
See more of her recommendations: msyinglingreads.blogspot.com
