Module 11: How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

 

 How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfull Famous by Georgia Bragg

 

Summary: A fairly in depth look at the causes of death of 19 famous people from history.  This book dispels common myths, such as the  notion that Cleopatra was bitten by an asp, and walks the reader through common medical practices, such as leeching, which later proved to be more harmful than good.  The book is arranged in a chronological order of those who died, starting with King Tut who died in 1323 BC, and ending with Albert Einstein who died in 1955. 

APA Reference: Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: NY: Walker & Company.

Impressions:  This book was so riveting I couldn't put it down, consequently I read it late into the night.  The language of the book is full of slang and kid lingo, and the illustrations really add to the information about the famous deaths.  Each passage is short (between 2-4 pages long), so kids who like short stories, will be drawn to this easy to read format.  The book is also full of delightfully quirky facts.  For instance, who would have guessed that King Henry VIII's stomach actually exploded after his death, or that Mozart actually died of Strep Throat?  The facts are interesting, and the reader will leave with a message of the amazing miracles of modern medicine.  
 

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.

Danner, B. (2011, April 1). [Review of the book. How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous by G, Bragg]. School library journal, 57(4), 189. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses: Host a mystery investigation during October.  Have kids work in groups, assigning each group one person from the book to investigate.  Each group will make a poster drawing of their person, surrounded by quirky facts about that person's death.  Groups will present their poster to the group.  This activity could be accompanied by skeleton games, such as having groups race each other to wrap one member in toilet paper like a mummy.  Give skeleton bone bracelets for prizes.