April 8, 2018
Module 11: Informational Books
Title:
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals by Michael Hearst
Title:
How They Croaked
Genre: Young Adult/Informational
Book Summary:
When a book introduction by the author begins with.“…if you don’t have the guts for gore, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK” (introduction), that's like asking Pandora to NOT open the box. How They Croaked is a book that describes the deaths of some of the most infamous famous throughout history. Eac death is explained in a simple, yet effective manner for young adult readers. The author provides information over each figure, telling why each was so well-known and what they did throughout their lives, that contributed to society. One of the deaths, James Garfield's was not death by bullet, but rather death by germs! He actually died at the hands of his own doctors. Simply drawn black and white illustrations add to the stories, with the illustrations drawn in such a way that they are actually are exaggerations of each historical figure. Fact-filled and fun trivia is included within each chapter about the person, the manner of the person's death, and some other random facts related to the events of the death. Bragg adds her own sense of humor throughout the book, allowing the reader to laugh out loud, even though the subject matter is as dark as it is. An extensive list of sources for each entry is included in the back of the book. Additional resources for each entry are given at the end of the book for “further reading and surfing” for those with a morbid sense of thought, who would like to read further into the life and death of the historical figure.
APA Reference of Book:
Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.
Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.
Impression:
The title grabbed my attention and the stories had me reading the book in one sitting. I first believed it was going to be a book about current historical figures, not realizing it was about George and Marie and King Tut. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I fell into the stories. The author provides not just information about how the person died, but the who/what/why/where/when too. The descriptions of each historical figure’s death are gruesomely detailed yet followed up with a humorous style of writing that can make the reader almost forget how harsh the figures death actually was. Just a few examples were in the chapter titles, like George Washington: Little Mouth of Horrors, James A. Garfield, James Who?, and Elizabeth I, She Kept Hear Head About Her. The author included some unknown and interesting facts about each figure, including information about each individual’s family background and accomplishments to help readers understand what life was like during the era of each figures life. I found the most interesting fact was that the reason all of the pictures of Napoleon standing with his hand in his jacket was not to promote how powerful he was, but in actuality, he was holding his side due to the excruciating pain he was experiencing in his stomach!
The title grabbed my attention and the stories had me reading the book in one sitting. I first believed it was going to be a book about current historical figures, not realizing it was about George and Marie and King Tut. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I fell into the stories. The author provides not just information about how the person died, but the who/what/why/where/when too. The descriptions of each historical figure’s death are gruesomely detailed yet followed up with a humorous style of writing that can make the reader almost forget how harsh the figures death actually was. Just a few examples were in the chapter titles, like George Washington: Little Mouth of Horrors, James A. Garfield, James Who?, and Elizabeth I, She Kept Hear Head About Her. The author included some unknown and interesting facts about each figure, including information about each individual’s family background and accomplishments to help readers understand what life was like during the era of each figures life. I found the most interesting fact was that the reason all of the pictures of Napoleon standing with his hand in his jacket was not to promote how powerful he was, but in actuality, he was holding his side due to the excruciating pain he was experiencing in his stomach!
Professional Review:
Gr 5-9–King Tut died of malaria; Edgar Allan Poe is suspected to have had rabies. Beethoven and Galileo both met their ends due to lead poisoning. Fifteen other historical figures, including world leaders, writers, and scientists, were felled by things as mundane as pneumonia and as unpredictable as angry mobs. Each entry provides the circumstances of the person’s death and gives context to those circumstances, from discussions of the political climate to medical practices of the time. Chapters are separated by a spread of brief facts related to the individual, the demise, or the era. Lively, full-page caricatures set in decorative frames appear throughout, along with spot illustrations. Back matter includes a lengthy list of sources. The sometimes-snarky writing gives the material a casual, conversational tone that will appeal to many readers. The title alone provides an easy booktalk; expect this one to be passed around and pored over.
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By Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA
Danner, B. (2011). How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous [Review of the book How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous]. School Library Journal, 57(4), 189-190. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/
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By Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA
Danner, B. (2011). How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous [Review of the book How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous]. School Library Journal, 57(4), 189-190. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/
Library Use:
This book could be used with forensic science classes. Students would be assigned one of the characters, complete more in-depth research into the death of the figure, along with an investigation into the medical practices of that specific time period. It could also be used as a fun way to begin a book talk over historical figures.
Readalikes:
For those who are interested in the weird and strange, these would be good books to continue with this obsession of the weird and strange:
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals by Michael Hearst
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