Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science and Women's Rights

by Lindsay H. Metcalf

A fascinating historical novel-in-verse for young adults capturing the discoveries of Eunice Foote, a remarkable woman in science WAY ahead of her time.

A fictionalized account of the first woman to identify carbon dioxide as a cause of climate change in 1856 when most people preferred that women be seen rather than heard.

Fictionalized only to weave together some unknown pieces of Eunice's life, this is a journey through time, triumph, trepidation, and trauma, revealing the extraordinary life and work of Eunice Newton Foote.

Eunice’s most important discovery was recognizing the effect of excess carbon dioxide in the a warming planet. But in a society driven by coal, kerosene, and crude oil, Eunice’s warnings went unheeded. After all, who would listen to a woman—especially a woman known to consort with suffragists?

From the Seneca Falls Convention to the halls of the US Patent Office in Washington, DC, Eunice Newton Foote blazed a trail for independence and inquiry. Today Eunice’s discoveries feel ever more prescient. She knew that reliance on fossil fuels would have a devastating effect. Today she is finally receiving the credit she deserves.

Eunice Newton Foote's extraordinary tale is told in novel-in-verse format, perfect for teenagers interested in STEM.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Novel In Verse, Poetry, Middle Grade

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2026

About the author

Lindsay H. Metcalf is a journalist and award-winning author of nonfiction picture books: BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, a Mighty Girl Best Book of 2020 and Young People’s Literature Award winner from the Friends of American Writers Chicago; FARMERS UNITE! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices, a Kansas Notable Book, Friends of American Writers honoree, NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book, and Junior Library Guild selection; and NO VOICE TOO SMALL: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, a Kirkus and Chicago Public Library Best Book, Notable Social Studies Trade Book, and NCTE Notable Poetry Book. NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, a poetry anthology from the team behind No Voice Too Small, is forthcoming in spring 2023. Lindsay lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, and a variety of pets. Reach her at lindsayhmetcalf.com and @lindsayhmetcalf on Twitter and Instagram.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlesbridge, Charlesbridge Teen, and Lindsay H. Metcalf for the opportunity to read Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science in exchange for an honest review.

While described as a novel-in-verse with some minor fictionalized elements, I'd like to call this book more of a history-in-verse, as it doesn't really have much dialogue or narrative in the regard that other young adult novels-in-verse do. Rather, it kind of explains the events in a chronological and poetic way, exploring the life of Eunice, her struggles as a female scientist in the mid 1800's, and her discoveries.

Eunice Newton Foote, yes, related to Isaac Newton, was always interested in science, but in the 1850's, women's ideas were not really regarded, despite the research behind what they may provide. They couldn't even own patents. But when she gets married, she has a husband who supports her scientific endeavors. Even if she can't have her name on her experiments and findings, at least her husband's title can be present. It would be great if her own name could be on her findings though! There is a court battle regarding a type of oven and who invented it first, history finally allowing women to own their own patents. Even with this progression, women and their ideas are still not widely accepted.

Eventually, Eunice will go down in history, after a great battle for scientific rights and findings in 2010 that lead to her discoveries, being known as the woman who made the connection between carbon dioxide and climate change. People will soon see her as the founder of a scientific discovery that has great impact on the world and understanding climate change today.

While it feels a bit more like just reading a history book, it was more fun than that, because of its novelized and verse form. I learned a lot about the time period, science, and women's struggles with gaining acknowledgement for their discoveries in the scientific community. The novel is certainly a worthwhile read, and offers insight into a specific person and aspect of history that is extremely relevant to today, making it a viable book for teen readers.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dread when I watch a movie that states “inspired by a true story.” Not based on, not true events, not actually history but “inspired by.” What can I believe? How much is actual fact? And what was so wrong with the actually story that it has to be “jazzed up?” So I cringed as I read the preface to this book where Lindsay H. Metcalf states “This book is based closely on true events.”

Like too many others, I have only recently learned of the scientist and inventor Eunice Newton Foote. And yes, she was a dependent of that Newton. Eunice was born July 17, 1819 in Goshen, Connecticut a small town only a few miles from where I lived most of my life and she died September 30, 1888. As a scientist she was the first to identify the insulating effect of carbon dioxide (CO2), known in her time as carbonic acid gas. Why is that important? Well, at the very start of the industrial revolution Foote predicted that the climate would be changed by all of the CO2 being released and that would result in a warmer planet. If only people has listened to her warnings. Unfortunately that has to wait over one hundred years, until 1975, when geochemist Wallace Broecker popularized the phase with his paper; “Climatic Change: Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?"

Along with her research, Foote also managed to; have a loving marriage, raise two successful daughters, create three inventions, become the first woman in the United States with a patent in her name, and attend the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 (where her name appears fifth among the signers of the Declaration of Sentiments). And yet history forget about her for over one hundred and fifty-five years. In 2011 Ray Sorenson, a retired petroleum geologist and independent researcher, found her 1856 paper on the heat-trapping capabilities of carbon dioxide.

Several months ago I learned a bit about Foote and went looking for a book about her life and discoveries. What I found were two children’s book and one YA novel (this one). While disappointed, I put myself on the waiting list to be the first to take this book out of my library when it was published. What I was looking for was a somewhat scholarly report on Foote’s life. What I got was an engaging, somewhat whimsical, YA book.

Metcalf has done an excellent job of bringing Foote’s story to life. While she focuses too little on the science and research, she does an excellent job of conveying how difficult it was to be a woman, much less a woman scientist, in the nineteenth century. I believe that this book will do an excellent job of encouraging young STEM students. If we can get a few adolescent boys reading it, they might learn quite a bit about the history of American women along the way.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science and Women’s Rights is FANTASTIC! Eunice is an amazing trailblazer. From being part of the feminist movement at the Seneca Falls Convention to holding patents and advocating for female scientists at the US Patent Office in Washington DC she lived an extraordinary life. This novel in verse details her friendship with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, her path as a wife to a fellow scientist and lawyer, and her journey as a mother (having and raising two strong feminist daughters). She is finally getting the credit she deserves for all the things she has accomplished from her discovery of the effects of carbon dioxide in 1856 to her inventions of the modern stove, rubber soles for shoes and a wrapping paper printing press and helping the creation of the Smithsonian and the development of meteorology.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Christiana Doucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve looked forward to reading this book since first reading several poems during a Highlight’s class with the author. And the book in full did not disappoint. Beautiful verse telling the history of a fascinating female scientist/inventor. And the number of references at the end! I love how carefully documented this book is!

A beautiful historical novel-in-verse that those who love the form will not want to miss.

[Donna Reedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. I learned alot.

[Ari (Books. Libraries. Also, cats.)]

I usually enjoy historical books in verse like this one, but sadly I didn't love this one as much as I'd hoped! It's being marketed as YA but I struggle to imagine teens picking this one up & relating to it, mostly because of the large time span it covers. It follows Eunice through her whole life (including having kids, grandkids, etc.) and I wish it'd focused on her teen or young adult years. I also felt like it was trying to do too much in terms of the writing. An interesting read about a cool woman in history, but not sure if it'll land with the intended audience.

[Ilse O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a remarkable woman, until now largely unrecognized. She was the first person to discover greenhouse gases -- the warming properties of carbon dioxide -- in 1856, decades before others would acknowledge the idea. She wrote a paper on the discovery and because she was a woman, was not allowed to present it at a convention of the Am. Assoc. for the Adv. of Science. A friend of her husband's presented but they were largely dismissed, in large part due to her gender. (Ironically, years later her younger brother discovered that crude oil could replace coal to power ships and he declared it "perfectly safe!")

Foote, a distant cousin of Isaac Newton, invented and patented the first self-regulating stove. But she had to patent it under her husband's name. Even then, they had to fight infringement on the patent several times -- but won. She attended the Seneca Convention for Women's Rights, and signed the Declaration of Sentiments. She also invented and patented the first rubber sole for shoes and a paper-making machine that operated in a Fitchburg, Mass factory.

Her husband supported her scientific endeavors and also encouraged and defended women's rights, including cutting the positions of several male staff at the patent office he led so that the women staff could have equal pay.

She lived through quite an era in history, from the construction of the Erie Canal and the Transcontinental Railroad, through the Civil War, the emancipation of enslaved people, the fight for women's rights, and technological inventions from the telegraph to the the telephone to electric lights and the automobile. But she was also a dedicated mother to two young women and several grandchildren. One of her children laster authored a book that inspired Rachel Carson's environmental research.

[Hope Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eunice Foote discovered the warming properties of carbon dioxide in 1856, but her discovery remained in obscurity until 20 decades later, when in 2010, Raymond Sorenson, a retired geologist, stumbled upon Foote’s original report. Another fifteen years later, in 2025, Metcalf brought a fictional biography of Eunice’s life to the world in evocative poetic text, inventive layouts, detailed scientific facts, and effective quotes from people in Eunice’s life. Metcalf shines a light on Eunice and her life story as a scientist, wife, women’s rights advocate, devoted mother and grandmother by covering in detail the science and theory behind Eunice’s discoveries, and artfully encompassing her struggles, changes, and accomplishments. What moved me most was the way Eunice’s story ends, which evoked a desire to know more about her. Metcalf fulfills this desire by revealing the probable face of Eunice captured in a painting dated from1856 in A Note from the Author. This symbolic revelation is in line with Metcalf’s efforts to bring Eunice to the forefront of history and out from the shadows, where Eunice was forced to remain despite her groundbreaking discoveries. This novel-in-verse, Footeprint, is hefty factually and emotionally, weaving Eunice’s story into the time when many societal changes and revolutions occurred. The brief verse on Eunice’s last moments seems fitting, for this book is about telling her living moments and legacy, making up her lost time and place in history, and shining a light on her remarkable life journey. Just brilliant.

[The Journey Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be translated into as many languages as possible, and every library should have at least one copy of it.

A moving and beautifully written verse novel based on the life of the first climate scientist, Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888). In a scientific article she published in 1856, she wrote:
“An atmosphere of that gas would give to our earth a much higher temperature.”

This finding was largely, if not completely, ignored because women were not considered worthy of being taken seriously. Later, in 1859, John Tyndall published the same theory. Whether it was coincidence or the appropriation of Eunice’s work, the world celebrated him and granted him the title “Father of Climate Science” because he was a professor. And a professor, of course, was to be taken seriously, even if he might have stolen someone else’s work. Women’s rights were just one of the many challenges Eunice faced during her lifetime. She was also active in the early women’s rights movement. Fortunately, her husband, Elisha Foote, supported her and stood by her side.

I especially appreciate the verse novel format. It reads like an ancient epic meant to be sung in honour of a forgotten hero. The oral storytelling tradition suits Eunice Newton Foote wonderfully, restoring her voice and place in history.

Thank you @lindsayhmetcalf , @charlesbridgepublishing for the eARC via @netgalley

[Estela · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for providing this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review **

Truth be told, I didn't know what to expect when I read the synopsis for this book. Novels in verse directed towards a YA audience seem like a rarity, and much more so one that is a fictional biography of a scientist.

What I found was a novel that feels like a window into the life of a remarkable woman, and not only that, but also a window into 19th century America. This isn't just about Eunice's brilliance, nor her passion for invention and discovery, for while all of those aspects of her life are mentioned throughout the novel and explored in detail, that's exactly what they are: aspects of her.

We see Eunice as a girl, as a wife, as a mother, and a grandmother. We see her as a representation of every woman in an America where women's achievements were so rarely recognised, and where women had few rights.

It may have been slow at times, but all in all, this was a wonderful read, and a delightful way to learn a little more about a figure that is often forgotten. I will definitely be visiting some of the provided sources.

[Keila Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Footeprint is a well-researched novel-in-verse about Eunice Foote, who has finally received the credit she deserves as the first scientist to document the greenhouse effect. A male scientist had that honor for over 150 years! Foote’s experiments showed that “carbonic acid gas” (carbon dioxide) traps heat and that high levels of it in the atmosphere would lead to a warmer planet. Metcalf’s verse details Foote’s heartaches, heartbreaks, victories, and joy throughout her life as a woman, wife, scientist, mother, grandmother, and feminist. Metcalf weaves her thoughts about dreams throughout Foote’s story. And this line sends a heartfelt message to the young women navigating life in today's world: “Dreams still matter.”

Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science and Women’s Rights belongs in every public and school library and on the home shelves of teen and young adult scientists, feminists, and dreamers.

[Louise Krug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although about a woman who lived in the past, so much felt relevant to women's lives today. Readers are sure to connect to Eunice Newton Foote, who, in addition to being a trailblazer and a badass, is also a wife and mother. I loved being able to get a close-up look at what it was like to be a female scientist in the mid-1800s, when so much that we take for granted now wasn't possible for women. All that said, my brain was constantly making connections to women's rights today and how they are still in peril. The novel-in-verse form was surprisingly captivating (I only say "surprising" because I haven't read many!) and I was spellbound with Eunice's story till the end. You'll adore this book, I promise!

[Sam Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

To quickly cut to the chase - this is a wonderful book.

Written in verse, I wasn't prepared for how effectively those verses would emotionally draw me into the story of a remarkable woman. The author, Lindsay Metcalf, does a wonderful job of weaving a huge number of names and facts into a story line that brings exposure to a period of history too little known, while at the same time describing very personal life experiences of an American family. Either story would have made for an interesting book, but both in the same book makes for a remarkable tome.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a book signing, and look forward to her future projects.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story about the life of Eunice Foote and her life as a scientist during a time when women were not regarded as equals to men. Interesting to see Eunice's life interwoven with other aspects of American history. The verse format was a little off-putting since I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, but could be a format that will engage more hesitant readers or those who enjoy women's history. Very well written so the only concern is that it may be difficult for some to decipher fact from fiction in the writing, leading to potentially incorrect historical knowledge.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lindsay Metcalf has done a wonderful job introducing Eunice Newton Foote. Foote, an extremely intelligent and talented woman was overshadowed by men who took credit for her accomplishments and was denied credit she deserved.
The author, Metcalf, has written an interesting and well researched novel (in verse). I very much enjoyed learning about this forgotten science pioneer.

[Lisa Seidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, fast read. Fascinating history of women in science and women’s rights.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biographical-novel-in-verse of unsung inventor and pioneering climate scientist Eunice Foote is the perfect blend of science, history, and feminism. Metcalf’s well-researched text skillfully blends Foote’s personal life and science achievements with the wider historical context of the time, including the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the transcontinental railroad. And from the very opening of the book, powerful, poetic lines such as baby Eunice “kicking the glass ceiling / to breathe the air above” make plain the author’s underlying thesis: Eunice Foote deserves more than a footenote. Be it known.