Famous conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton star in Miller's latest biography, which seeks to sidestep the sensational and present readers with an honest account of the girls' lives and career performing in pubs, carnivals, and Vaudeville. It is largely successful in this endeavor, with the first part of the book devoted to their childhood and most lucrative years touring under the tyrannical thumbs of their stepmother, Mary Hilton, and eventual manager Meyer Myers. Part Two covers the second half of Violet's and Daisy's lives, after their heyday but also a time of unprecedented personal and financial freedom. Situated between both sections are photographs of the twins and advertisements for their shows, which readers will want to reference as they make their way through the text. The Hilton sisters' story is sad from start to finish, but it is nevertheless an interesting study in controlling one's own narrative--or not having that control--and it could tie into lessons on fake news or women's rights. Thoroughly sourced and researched but slightly dry to read, this biography works best as a secondary purchase.

Gr 6--8--Violet and Daisy Hilton were white conjoined twins born in 1908 to an unmarried woman in Brighton, England. In this era, medical professionals did not treat most birth defects and assumed the babies would die. Kate Skinner, their 21-year-old mother, wanted nothing to do with the girls. Mary Hilton, Skinner's midwife, saw an opportunity to capitalize on the twins' condition. Hilton adopted the sisters and put them on display. After appearing in carnivals and exhibitions in England and Australia, Violet and Daisy were taken to the United States. They became vaudeville stars and retired in their 40s. They eventually lived quiet lives in Charlotte, NC, and worked in a grocery store. This is a sad story, full of people who sought to take advantage of two children and use them for personal gain. Miller is quite frank in her delivery; she explains that the facts she includes might be "ballyhoo" or lies because Violet and Daisy liked to paint a rosy picture of their difficult experiences. Middle grade readers will appreciate the pictures, which help contextualize the dense text. VERDICT Miller provides a peculiar narrative nonfiction work that may capture the interest of curious readers, but the extensive text is overly detailed.--Kim Gardner, Fort Worth Country Day Sch., TX

The story of a pair of conjoined twins who became an American vaudeville sensation in the 1920s. Violet and Daisy were born in England in 1908 to a young, unwed mother and adopted by their midwife, Mary Hilton. Hilton exhibited the twins from infancy, taking them on the road to Germany, Australia, and finally the United States, where they performed at fairs, carnivals, and circuses. In contrast to other sideshows, their act was considered wholesome, designed to emphasize their musical abilities, beauty, and charm. When they weren't performing, the twins were sequestered from the world, and their social isolation kept them ignorant of the ways in which they were being exploited. By 1925, Violet and Daisy made the incredible leap from the sideshow to the vaudeville stage, where they debuted to extraordinary success. Catapulted to instant fame, they fascinated the press and earned a fortune for their management. Yet their outwardly sunny dispositions masked their growing turmoil at their virtual imprisonment, which finally led to a court battle that marked a watershed moment in their lives. Though related somewhat repetitively, Violet's and Daisy's story shines when describing their deep respect for each other's privacy and individuality and their mutual harmony despite their differences. The twins had a tendency to sensationalize their own story for publicity, and the text is careful to point out the incidents in their account that remain unsubstantiated. A story of two individuals worth the telling. (author's note, sources, notes) (Nonfiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

On February 5, 1908, conjoined twins were born to Kate Skinner, an unwed mother, in Brighton, England. Mary Hilton, the opportunistic bar owner who had hired the expectant mother for no pay in exchange for midwifery services, quickly adopted the girls from Skinner and proceeded to charge customers for a peek at them. Carnivals of the time featured a variety of so-called "freaks," people with atypical physical features. Capitalizing on this, Mary began touring the twins, first in England, then Europe and Australia, before landing in America. Here they made the jump to vaudeville, becoming a sensational box office hit in the 1920s. When Mary passed away, guardianship passed to her daughter and son-in-law, who continued to shamelessly exploit the twins. Ultimately, however, the sisters broke free of their control and began managing their own business affairs, though much less successfully. After their careers ended with a steady mix of burlesque shows, nightclub acts, and state fairs, they retired to North Carolina, working in a grocery store, before passing away in 1969. True to form, Miller's (The Miracle Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets, rev. 9/19) account is meticulously detailed and draws a clear line between facts and speculation, especially when it comes to the motivation of various characters. This comprehensive biography also provides a healthy dose of social history, particularly as it relates to entertainment, gender roles, and disability. A section of black-and-white captioned photographs is inserted in the middle, while an author's note, bibliography, and source notes are appended. Jonathan Hunt July/August 2021 p.136(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This intriguing history chronicles the stardom and travails of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, born in Brighton, England, in 1908. When Kate Skinner, an unwed mother, gave birth to twin girls joined "by a single shared tailbone," she deemed them "freaks" and allowed her boss, a hardhearted bar owner named Mary Hilton, to adopt them. With deserved outrage, the text documents how the mercenary, abusive woman, and subsequently other promoters, saw potential in exploiting the girls. With their musical talents and onstage presence fostered, the twins premiered in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and eventually the U.S., where they appeared in carnivals, later vaudeville, and even a feature film flop. In chronicling the twins' engrossing ups and downs, Miller (The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets) effectively sketches broad themes, including how the siblings preserved harmony from an early age, tuned out the other to grant privacy (including for dating), and fed their appetite for publicity, which sometimes translated into stunts, such as their weddings. Though the twins' personalities remain obscure, this engaging, linear narrative transcends spectacle to portray their storied career with sensitivity. Ages 12--up. (Apr.)