It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her fa... read full description
reviews
Oct 29, 2011
Leann
rated it: 
The cover and title drew me to pick up this title. It's May 1910, and people around the world are working themselves into a near frenzy over the coming of Halley's Comet. Astronomers predict that the Earth will actually pass through the tail of the comet, and despite assurances from scientists that no harm would come to people on Earth, many are panicked, thinking the end of the world is at hand.
Tubb does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of the comet panic, making effecti More...
Tubb does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of the comet panic, making effecti More...
Sep 11, 2011
Handd51
rated it:
The is a really interesting book - but I'm not sure kids will eat it up. Set in 1910, main character Hope is the daughter of and assistant to magician Nick on the Vaudeville circuit as the hype about Halley's Comet takes over the headlines in an era before the current one of immediate info. But the press still loved to wind readers up to a frenzy of fear. Meanwhile, Nick was at risk of being cut from the show when the run in Chicago ended and Hope was hopeful they could stay in Chicago and be
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Aug 31, 2011
M.
rated it: 
I'm not sure why I couldn't get into this book. I found the historical setting very interesting and well researched--it takes place just before (and after) Haley's Comet is going to pass through the earth's atmosphere and many of the people of Chicago, where the book is set, are terrified of what will happen as a result. Hope and her father, a magician, are in Chicago traveling with a down at the heels vaudeville troupe and Hope wants out, but she realizes it will take money to get settled in o
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Jul 14, 2011
Beverly
rated it:
I loved the quirky characters in Selling Hope. Buster Keaton, as Hope's best friend and major crush, was a delightful surprise. I also loved how Kristin Tubb gave readers the feel of life in vaudeville and the feel of the gritty streets of Chicago in 1910. The historical setting was great - Haley's comet is coming and there is a public feud going on between scientists trying to educate and con artists trying to cash in on public fear. Hope decides to join the con artists to earn money for an apa
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Dec 01, 2010
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
rated it:
I love this cover and I really enjoyed reading Selling Hope. Kristin did a fantastic job at weaving together a wonderful story with historical fiction. Selling Hope is a book that I would recommend for classroom reading as well as at home. Not only does Kristin take the reader back to Chicago in the year 1910, she enchants you with a beloved strong willed, says how it is, young female character, Hope.
Hope and her father Nick, are part of the circuit, who travel from city to city with a More...
Hope and her father Nick, are part of the circuit, who travel from city to city with a More...
Nov 02, 2010
Margo
rated it: 
It's May 1910, and people around the world are working themselves into a near frenzy over the coming of Halley's Comet. Astronomers predict that the Earth will actually pass through the tail of the comet, and despite assurances from scientists that no harm would come to people on Earth, many are panicked, thinking the end of the world is at hand.
Author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, (check back tomorrow for an interview with Kristin!) taking inspiration from the centenary of this Halley' More...
Author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, (check back tomorrow for an interview with Kristin!) taking inspiration from the centenary of this Halley' More...
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Jul 24, 2010
Katieb (MundieMoms)
rated it:
I love this cover and I really enjoyed reading Selling Hope. Kristin did a fantastic job at weaving together a wonderful story with historical fiction. Selling Hope is a book that I would recommend for classroom reading as well as at home. Not only does Kristin take the reader back to Chicago in the year 1910, she enchants you with a beloved strong willed, says how it is, young female character, Hope.
Hope and her father Nick, are part of the circuit, who travel from city to city with More...
Hope and her father Nick, are part of the circuit, who travel from city to city with More...
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Oct 30, 2010
Emma
rated it:
May 1, 1910: The world might end in seventeen days when Earth will pass through the possibly lethal tail of Halley's Comet but thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniel isn't too concerned. Her world already ended, in a way, when her mother died years ago and Hope's father, Nick, joined the small time vaudeville circuit.
Hope is tired of living out of train cars, boarding houses, and not having any friends her own age. She's sick of being a magician's assistant for Nick and reading Tarot card f More...
Hope is tired of living out of train cars, boarding houses, and not having any friends her own age. She's sick of being a magician's assistant for Nick and reading Tarot card f More...
Apr 22, 2011
Kristie
rated it:
I don't tend to enjoy nonfiction, so I love it when an author takes the time to do excellent research and then composes a work of fiction that is readable, enjoyable, and accurate. Kristin Tubb has done just that with her middle-grade novel "Selling Hope," based on the passing of Halley's Comet in 1910.
Hope McDaniels is a thirteen-year-old girl who is the magician's assistant in her father's act on the minor vaudeville circuit. As the troupe heads toward Chicago, the McD More...
Hope McDaniels is a thirteen-year-old girl who is the magician's assistant in her father's act on the minor vaudeville circuit. As the troupe heads toward Chicago, the McD More...
Feb 12, 2012
Allison
rated it: 
Hope wouldn't mind it a bit if her magician and phiolosopher of a father got cut from the vaudeville circuit. She'd like to try having a real life, even if it means losing their measly income. But Hope's a practical girl, seasoned by a life of smoke and mirrors, and when mass hysteria breaks out in fear of the approaching Haley's Comet, she takes advantage of her Coins, as she calls them. She starts peddling anti-comet pills - just dressed up mints - to people and starts saving up for her and he
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Mar 01, 2011
Patsi
rated it:
Who knew that historical fiction could be so much fun? Apparently Kristin Tubb did. She took an intriguing subject - public fear in 1910 that Halley's Comet would unleash 'the wrath of the heavens' - and gave a personal view of it through the eyes of Hope McDaniel who is stuck on the vaudeville circuit with her father. Hope wants a home and a normal life, which will require some funds, and she comes up with the idea of selling Comet Pills that guarantee the safety of all who take them. Hope is b
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Feb 07, 2011
Joyce
rated it:
I enjoyed getting a peek of life in 1910 through the eyes of Hope McDaniels, the thirteen-year-old main character of "Selling Hope" by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. In her book, "Coins," or people of Chicago, line up to buy flour coated mints passed off as anti-comet pills that will protect the user from dying from the gases given off from the tail of Haley's comet. This book uses real newspaper headlines to show the lead up to this historic non-event while at the same time, allowi
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Nov 28, 2010
Abby
rated it:
It's 1910 and Halley's Comet is freaking everybody out. 13-year-old Hope is stuck helping her father perform his vaudeville act as part of a small-time traveling show and she wants OUT. She dreams of a house to call their own and a stable life where she can make friends and do something - anything - other than perform vaudeville. But to make that happen, she needs money. So she starts selling "anti-comet pills" to gullible people who are terrified that the Comet is bringing the end
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Apr 07, 2011
This book is awesome you guys. AWESOME! In that I-should-give-up-writing-because-I-will-never-be-that-good kind of way. I have total writing envy. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if this book rakes in a bunch of honors and awards. It deserves it.
I'll admit, I actually hadn't heard of the book when the publicist emailed me offering the ARC. But when I read the blurb I thought uh--Middle Grade + Vaudeville + Buster Keaton = WIN. And I was right!
Buster Keaton is one of the More...
I'll admit, I actually hadn't heard of the book when the publicist emailed me offering the ARC. But when I read the blurb I thought uh--Middle Grade + Vaudeville + Buster Keaton = WIN. And I was right!
Buster Keaton is one of the More...
Oct 01, 2011
Katherine
rated it:
Is it wrong to lie to someone if you are giving them hope? That is the struggle that Hope has. She is traveling with her dad on Vaudeville. She also is selling Anti-Comet Pills, anticipating the coming of Halley's Comet. She lies to her customers, but she's also giving them hope. Is that wrong? I originally picked this book up because of its Buster Keaton connection. Buster Keaton was born in a little Kansas town near us, Piqua. Every year Iola, Kansas, actually has a Buster Keaton Celeb
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Jul 27, 2010
Lewis
rated it:
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this sweet and brave book. The world of the 1910 is so faithfully, but gracefully brought to life, through the language of the characters, and artful historical details. And Hope's struggle to find her place in the world, while everyone around her is going crazy, it seems--well, that's what the best kids' books are about, right? But this ain't just a kids' book. It's a fine, fine novel.
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Feb 03, 2012
Carolyn
rated it:
Hope is selling hope in the form of anti-comet pills in May 1910 when Haley's Comet was filling the night sky and people with the fear of a collision with Earth. This while working in a magic vaudeville act with her father, and befriending fellow vaudevillian Buster Keaton. Good coming of age story centered around finding the true meaning of home and hope.
Not a big fan of the cover..makes Hope look too young and pristine!
Not a big fan of the cover..makes Hope look too young and pristine!
Jun 30, 2011
The story begins with the perfect metaphor of its title and is sprinkled with stunningly apt vaudeville expressions throughout. Readers follow spunky heroine, Hopeful, on a vaudeville adventure in which she encounters a young Buster Keaton, begrudgingly assists her magician/would-be motivational speaker father onstage, and dabbles in con artistry. In the end, though, it's Hope's realization of the connections between stage magic and sideshow sneakery, between tricking the eye and tricking the m
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Mar 12, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
I didn't know anything about the history of our planet passing through the tail of Haley's Comet. I thought this book was great. It gave me history and a look into the life of a vaudeville performer. It ended a little briefly I thought, but I would recommend this book to any independent reader, or adult for that matter.
Apr 24, 2011
Alison
rated it:
A sweet, well-researched histoical novel centered around the vaudeville culture of turn-of-the-century America and the mass hysteria that preceded Halley's Comet passing by Earth in 1910. Very informative, as I knew very little about vaudeville before. Having Buster Keaton as a character is an addded plus!
Nov 12, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Another coming of age story, this one centered around the appearance of Halley's comet in what, 1910? I especially picked this one up because my sister is named after Halley's comet, born in the year when it came again. I pray that I live long enough to see it come yet again!
Aug 21, 2011
Teresa
rated it:
Hope, a girl, is a member of a travelling vaudeville act in 1910. Halley's Comet is due to reappear and everyone is in a panic due to the lack of information at the time. Hope is not happy in the show as her father's assistant in a magic act. She recalls the time before her mother's death as the happiest times of her life and longs to leave the show and settle down. That's going to take some money so Hope and Buster Keaton, another member of the the vaudeville troop take advantage of the comet's
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Jan 16, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Unfortunately, I think I will have a hard time selling "Selling Hope" to most of my middle school students. While it is a really interesting look at the hype caused by Halley's comet back in 1910, and there are some interesting characters, it just isn't as riveting as it has potential to be.
Sep 28, 2011
Ben
rated it:
Wonderful book for middle grade kids. Original story with excitement, history, and a subtle message punctuated with great writing. All kids will like this, but boys may need to be shoved toward it due to the girl on the cover.
Oct 18, 2011
Really beautiful and sad, but I wasn't too fond about the daily life/journal stuff. It bored me after a few chapters, she got up, worked as a Magician's assistant, and went to the alley to sell anti-comet pills.
Mar 14, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
This book made me REALLY want to see Hailey's Comet ... Although I'll have to be in my 70s to have the chance to witness it. :(
May 18, 2010
I won this on Goodreads and am so excited to receive it in the mail. Thank you Goodreads and Kristin!
Mar 10, 2011
An interesting book about a girl and her tricks . It is good for 6th - 7th grader !
Oct 19, 2010
Emily (Super Reader Girl Reviews)
rated it:
I had a hard time really feeling like I could relate with the protagonist at first, and wanted a little more out of the ending, but overall a sweet story. I have a much better feel for the life of a vaudeville player and for the early 1900s in Chicago at the time of Halley's comet.
A fun, quick, clean, middle-grade read.
A fun, quick, clean, middle-grade read.
