The Giant and How He Humbugged America

Two-time Newbery Honor Book author has written an amazing account of one of America's most famous hoaxes!

When a 10-foot tall purported "petrified man" is unearthed from a backyard in upstate New York in 1869, the discovery immediately turns into a spectacle of epic proportions. News of the giant spreads like wildfire, and well over a thousand people come to view him in the first five days alone!Everyone has their own idea of his true origin: Is he an ancient member of the local Onandaga Indian tribe? Is he a biblical giant like Goliath? Soon the interests of world-renowned scientists and people from around the globe are piqued as arguments flare over who he is, where he came from, and if he is real--or just a hoax. In a riveting account of how the Cardiff Giant mystery snowballed into one of America's biggest money-making spectacles--and scams--Jim Murphy masterfully explores the power of 19th-century media and the unexpected ripple effect that a single corrupt mastermind can produce when given a stage.

Author: Jim Murphy
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 10/01/2012
Pages: 112
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 10.10h x 8.20w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780439691840
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 8.7
Point Value: 4
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 154476 / Giant and How He Humbugged America


Award: Charlotte Award - Nominee
Award: NAPPA Gold Awards - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2012 pg. 76
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2012
School Library Journal 09/01/2012 pg. 165
Publishers Weekly 09/17/2012
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2012 - Book Of Special Distinction
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2013 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Jim Murphy is the celebrated author of more than thirty-five books for young readers, most notably TRUCE: THE DAY THE SOLDIERS STOPPED FIGHTING and THE GREAT FIRE, a Newbery Honor Winner. His carefully researched, engaging, and elegantly written nonfiction has garnered the most prestigious awards in the field. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and their two sons.


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