Diamond Fever!
A True Crime Story in the Wild West
$32.37
- Hardcover
256 pages
- Release Date
1 September 2026
Summary
In 1872, a pair of scheming prospectors sold a non-existent American diamond deposit to prominent businessmen with the promise of fame, fortune, and riches beyond their wildest dreams. From Arizona to Wyoming, thousands of miners and prospectors flocked to the western United States in search of diamond deposits, triggering one of the biggest—and briefest—diamond prospecting crazes in United States history.
But the businessmen quickly realized they had been swindled when the few diamon…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781250265746 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1250265746 |
| Author: | Steve Sheinkin, Jon Chad |
| Publisher: | St Martin's Press |
| Imprint: | St Martin's Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 256 |
| Release Date: | 1 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 454g |
| Dimensions: | 154mm x 233mm |
| Audience Age: | 9 |
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Critics Review
Praise for Diamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West
“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
★ “A rollicking–and well-researched–adventure story… A sparkling accomplishment. ” –Kirkus, starred review
★ “Jon Chad adds an unusual visual element to Sheinkin’s rip-roaring account of the brief but intense national furor sparked by the reported discovery of a supposed diamond field in 1870… A breathless, dramatic tale tidily wrapped up with a set of capsule biographies.” - Booklist, starred review
★ “A rollicking caper that offers historical hijinks and freewheeling fun in spades.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “A compelling story of bold lies, pervasive deal-making, and surprising gullibility. Reading like a crime novel, readers will eagerly turn the pages looking for answers… VERDICT A must-purchase for collections where true crime and nearly unbelievable historical tales are popular.” –School Library Journal, starred review
“A direct, humorous account that matches the playful tone of Sheinkin’s work in the Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You series or Day’s The Mona Lisa Vanishes.” –BCCB
“Sheinkin’s narrative reads at times like a thriller, also benefiting from cartoonist Chad’s black-and-white illustrations… opening each section and dramatizing particularly exciting episodes.” -Horn Book
Steve Sheinkin
Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories include Impossible Escape, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. Sheinkin lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children.
Jon Chad lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter. He is the illustrator of Science Comics: Solar System, and the author of Leo Geo, Science Comics: Volcanoes, Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements, and Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball. Jon Chad’s newest graphic novel series, The Solvers, uses comics and superhero action to teach mathematics to young readers.
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