Publishers Weekly
Set in 1913, Milford's debut is a sure-footed, slow-burning thriller. Feisty 13-year-old Natalie has grown up in a small Missouri town located near a mysterious crossroads, listening to the local myths about it that her mother shares. When Dr. Limberleg opens the Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show, the townspeople (afraid of catching the neighboring town's flu) take to his products and team, who promote phrenology, hydrotherapy, magnetism, and amber therapy. Mechanically minded Natalie, however, is determined to get through the smoke and mirrors, and she finds that Dr. Limberleg's cures come with strings attached. "Most people are much older when they discover their world isn't the place they thought it was," he warns. "By then... sometimes... it's too late." The tale is shrouded in mystery and explores themes of gaining confidence and recognizing evil, and Milford's detail-rich prose makes it all the more haunting ("In the gaslight and what morning sun that filtered through the heavy curtains, startling shapes began to resolve themselves into familiar objects. Seeing them clearly didn't make her like them any better"). Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10–up. (May)
From the Publisher
A 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
"Not to be confused with Cherie Priest's steampunk novel of the same name (though there is just the barest whiff of steampunk here), this historical fantasy uses the classic devil-at-the-crossroads motif as the foundation for an elaborate and intricate gearwork story set in the little town of Arcane, Missouri, in 1913...Both impressive and ambitious, Milford's first novel rarely overreaches as it lays out an eerie and atmospheric vision of early-twentieth-century Americana, electrified by supernatural traces and a generously complex look at good, evil, and the wide swath in between."—Booklist, starred review
"The tale is shrouded in mystery and explores themes of gaining confidence and recognizing evil, and Milford's detail-rich prose makes it all the more haunting ("In the gaslight and what morning sun that filtered through the heavy curtains, startling shapes began to resolve themselves into familiar objects. Seeing them clearly didn't make her like them any better")."—Publishers Weekly
"This unusual story, with elements of folklore, tall tales and steampunk, has rich details of small-town America in the early 20th century as well as the impact of budding technology. Natalie is a well-drawn protagonist with sturdy supporting characters around her. The tension built into the solidly constructed plot is complemented by themes that explore the literal and metaphorical role of crossroads and that thin line between good and evil."—Kirkus Reviews —
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—It's 1913 in Arcane, Missouri, and all Natalie Minks has to worry about is learning to ride the Chesterlane Eidolon her father rebuilt for her—a bicycle so unique that it thwarts her every attempt to even stay on it. Natalie loves bicycles and other machines because she understands them. But then Dr. Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show sets up in Arcane with its miraculous cures and automata that seemingly don't have a key to wind and can run forever. Natalie is convinced that there's something sinister behind the miracles and machines at the medicine show, and the strange visions she begins having about the town's history reinforce her fears. With so many of the townspeople using Dr. Limberleg's ginger root cure, it is left to Natalie to discover the truth about the doctor and to save the town. Erin Moon solidly performs Kate Milford's excellent steampunk tale (Clarion Books, 2010) of early 20th century small-town America. Her youthful voice is believable as the spirited and determined Natalie, and she gives unique voices to many of the other well-drawn characters. This rich tale of good versus evil and finding inner strength will stay with listeners long after the climactic showdown.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL
Kirkus Reviews
In 1913 Arcane, Mo., 13-year-old Natalie Minks loves mechanical things, and her father's bicycle-repair shop is the perfect place to tinker. Naturally curious, she is intrigued when a medicine show comes to town with promises of healing potions and an array of unusual machines. Folks in town are skeptical of "snake oil salesmen," but Natalie suspects that the strangers are more sinister than mere con artists. At the same time, she experiences visions that may be connected to the town's history and these mysterious travelers. These visions heighten her fears that her family and town are in danger from unresolved deals made with the Devil himself. This unusual story, with elements of folklore, tall tales and steampunk, has rich details of small-town America in the early 20th century as well as the impact of budding technology. Natalie is a well-drawn protagonist with sturdy supporting characters around her. The tension built into the solidly constructed plot is complemented by themes that explore the literal and metaphorical role of crossroads and that thin line between good and evil. (Historical fantasy. 10 & up)
