"Part ode to young genius, part indictment of helicopter parenting, Hulbert's crisply written account of überachieving kids probes our own complicated obsessions with talent and the need to stand out." --O, The Oprah Magazine

"Engaging and insightful. . . . Hulbert approaches her dozen or so subjects not as a social scientist but as biographer and essayist, where her skills are superlative." --The Wall Street Journal

"A profound, sensitive look at what it takes to make a child prodigy, and the unexpected ways that brilliance can play out in the long run." --The Saturday Evening Post

"What can we learn, in a society dedicated to high-achieving children, from children who seem 'naturally' off the charts in their achievements? . . . [Hulbert] does the good work, throughout, of resisting morals or too neat generalizations." --Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

"Captures the complicated lives of child prodigies without descending into voyeurism or caricature. [Hulbert] has tried to 'listen hard for the prodigies' side of the story, ' to her great credit." --The New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating if at times disturbing. . . . [Hulbert] makes clear, in this nuanced and meticulous book, that when it comes to the prodigy's gift, the peril is indivisible from the glory." --Newsday

"In this beautifully written, thoroughly reported look at young 'geniuses, ' Hulbert poses fascinating questions about the roles of both genetics and pushy parents." --Booklist (starred review)