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Teen Scene

NOVEMBER 8, 2011
How They Croaked: The Awful End of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
This non-fiction title includes fascinating stories and background information surrounding the deaths of nineteen famous people throughout history, including Columbus, Washington, Napoleon, and  Einstein. Humorous, yet, at times, extremely disgusting. For example, "Doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost 80 ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket." and "Right before Beethoven wrote his last notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without any pain medication."
Luckily the accompanying illustrations keep this from being too sickening. Also, the sarcastic tone accentuates the absurdness of many of the treatments and actions by others following the deaths of these famous people. A reader is able to jump around the book to read about a specific person or disturbing fact at will. This will appeal to reluctant readers not only because of the subject matter, but also due to the appealing format that includes additional information related to the person such as "cool facts", lists, amusing illustrations, maps, and other disgusting bits of information. Recommended for readers in grades 5 and up, although younger children will also want to pour over the contents, even if they don't completely understand all the details.

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