A young girl in a vaudeville troop sells anti-comet pills to people afraid of the approaching Halley’s Comet, in 1910. A look at vaudeville, community, and the pitfalls of ignorance-based panic and fear. Author’s Notes, Recommended Readings.

Adorable charming story about the 1910 Haley's comet. Written very well with great characters, both good and bad. If you enjoy historical fiction, definitely an enjoyable read. ( )

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 McDaniels's former home town, Hope gets the sense that her father is about to be fired. To prepare for this eventuality, Hope hatches a plan that will allow her to save up money so that she can convince her dad to settle down in the city where she last had a real home. Hope decides to take advantage of people's fear of the comet and sell "anti-comet" pills. She enlists the help of Buster Keaton (who really was a vaudeville performer in 1910) and their age-appropriate romance adds a little spark that tween readers will enjoy.
With historical accuracy -- chapter titles are even taken from real 1910 headlines -- Kristin Tubb weaves a lovely story of a girl who has had to grow up fast, but who dreams of a "normal" life. ( )

Hope is a girl who lives on the road with her dad, a magician in a vaudeville act in the early 1900s. She longs to be home though so she starts a side business selling 'anti-comet pills' to people who fear the impending return of Halley's Comet. She has a crush on 15 year old Buster Keaton, the future real-life star of silent movies. Great story of a girl trying to figure out what is right.

Well written romp through the days of vaudeville without the rose colored lens ( )