Fooled you! Fakes and hoaxes through the years

Pascoe, E. (2005). Fooled you: fakes and hoaxes through the years. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Interest level: Grades 4-7

Reading level: 6+

This clearly written book introduces the reader to the hoaxes which are described as being similar to a practical joke, but different in that they are meant to fool the world. The book covers 11 different hoaxes, many of which are well known such as the story of Bigfoot or the occurrence of  some involving well known people such as Edgar Allan Poe and P.T. Barnum. Poe, when he was a newsman, untruthfully reported in the New York Sun that the Atlantic Ocean had been crossed by balloon in only three days "and will become a common and convenient highway for mankind."  P.T. Barnum, while proprietor of the American Museum had the "Fejee Mermaid" on display, using hype to draw people in and without regard for whether it was real or not or whether people believed the story or not.

This is a great book for those intrigued by the paranormal, the weird, and the just plain outlandish side of life. The hoaxes are placed in historical perspective and a lot of information is given about the people who first perpetuated the hoax, which is a nice addition. The last chapter is timely as it focuses on internet hoaxes and discussed how and why they spread so quickly. A "Find out more" section ends the book with references to other books and website which will be useful to those who wish to investigate further.