  | Windeby puzzle : history and story Author: Lowry, Lois | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
Told in two voices, two outcasts in an Iron Age village befriend each other, as disabled, orphaned Varick helps Estrild achieve her dream of becoming the first female warrior. Inspired by the Windeby bog body.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 6.00 Points: 5.0 Quiz: 519296 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (11/15/22)
School Library Journal (+) (00/03/23)
Booklist (02/15/23)
The Hornbook (00/05/23)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/15/2023 There are two sides to this book: In one, it shares the true story of an ancient body dug up from a north German peat bog in 1952. In the other, Lowry asks what might be the true tale of the bog discovery, and she imagines two fictional lives in the pondering of that story. In this unusual approach, she outlines the process of both wondering and writing, fleshing out possibilities for what befell the discovered Iron Age teen. Was the person in the bog male or female? Were they murdered or simply an accidental victim? Slowly, a picture emerges of the tough lives of these pre-Christian people, of how growing up within tight cultural confines could position some as outsiders. In the fictional portion, Estrild is a feisty girl who would prefer to be a warrior than do domestic chores. Her friend Varick is a disabled orphan scraping by in a community that ostracizes him. Which of these two unlikely friends was ultimately forgotten in the German swamp? Interspersing their stories with historical facts and info about the real bog discovery, now called Windeby I, and with news of anthropological advances, Lowry creates a mystery appealing to history lovers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Two-time Newbery medalist Lowry is something of a living legend, and the unusual approach of this latest historical fiction should draw interest. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
