Mutén’s consciously mannered style lends the story a quaint tone. Dickinson seems oddly charming, her whimsy leavened by warmth and appealing humor. … The illustrations… are well suited to the spare text: Phelan… wisely choose line drawing and grisaille; both eschew color. This is as it should be, when feeling comes through words.
—The New York Times Book Review
“Miss Emily” is Emily Dickinson, and Mutén’s novel, appropriately penned in free verse, presents the poet as an engaging, warm, and somewhat whimsical personality. … Phelan successfully uses softly muted black-and-white pencil sketches to capture this suspenseful tale of a midnight adventure. They gently imbue this charming story with a wonderful mix of humor and daredevilry.
—School Library Journal
Uplifting and clever, Mutén’s tale also includes a layer of biographical detail sure to tantalize Dickinson lovers everywhere.
—Kirkus Reviews
[T]his slim verse novel celebrates the joys and troubles of a simpler time. Mutén’s free verse moves apace, capturing both the romance of the adventure and the plain beauty we associate with Dickinson’s poetry. For their part, Phelan’s graphite sketches, each identified by the line of text it depicts, convey an atmosphere of old-fashioned zeal. Based on actual relationships and events, this fantastical outing will foster curious readers’ imaginations
—Booklist
The tale has a measure of old-fashioned charm.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
This charming story, based on true events, is appropriately told in free verse. … Lovely.
—The Plain Dealer
Memorably told, a spirited, loosely fictionalized tribute to "Miss Emily" and the children she inspired every day.
—Children’s Bookwatch
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