The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets

In this riveting, beyond-belief true story from the author of The Borden Murders, meet the five children who captivated the entire world.

When the Dionne Quintuplets were born on May 28, 1934, weighing a grand total of just over 13 pounds, no one expected them to live so much as an hour. Overnight, Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie Dionne mesmerized the globe, defying medical history with every breath they took. In an effort to protect them from hucksters and showmen, the Ontario government took custody of the five identical babies, sequestering them in a private, custom-built hospital across the road from their family--and then, in a stunning act of hypocrisy, proceeded to exploit them for the next nine years. The Dionne Quintuplets became a more popular attraction than Niagara Falls, ogled through one-way screens by sightseers as they splashed in their wading pool at the center of a tourist hotspot known as Quintland. Here, Sarah Miller reconstructs their unprecedented upbringing with fresh depth and subtlety, bringing to new light their resilience and the indelible bond of their unique sisterhood.

Publisher: Random House Studio
Published: 08/27/2019
Pages: 320
Weight: 1.3lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781524713812
Age: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 7.8
Point Value: 14
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 508678 / Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2019
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2019
Booklist 06/01/2019 pg. 72
Publishers Weekly 08/05/2019
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2019 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
School Library Journal 08/23/2019 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2019 pg. 115
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Sarah Miller is the author of the historical fiction novels Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller, which was called "an accomplished debut" in a starred review from Booklist and was named an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book, and The Lost Crown, a novel hailed as "fascinating" in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and named an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.