If you've ever heard of bog people, you might find this book interesting. The Windeby Child is a 2,000 year old human body that was uncovered in 1952 in a peat bog in Germany. Due to the chemical conditions in a peat bog, ancient bodies are occasionally preserved, including their hair and clothing and skin. When modern people find them, the bodies are studied by scientists and preserved in museums. Some bog people appear to have died violent deaths, or have clearly been murdered, but not the Windeby Child. This particular body at first appeared to be a young woman with half of her head shaved and a blindfold around her eyes. Scientists later determined that the body was a young boy, and his hair had not been shaved. Lois Lowry took the interesting story of the Windeby Child and imagines the life of this child and what could have led to their death at a young age. We know very little about the people who lived in northern Germany at that time, but Lowry found out what she could and in this book she tells two possible stories to explain the puzzle of the Windeby Child. The first story assumes that she was a 13-year-old girl who meets a violent end due to her aspirations of being a warrior. The second story is one of an unloved orphan teenager who shows the curiosity of a scientist before succumbing to disease. Both stories show young teenagers living a harsh life in a society that does not treat children kindly. As a middle school librarian, I appreciate that Lowry is writing for and about young teens--there is mention of human sacrifice and adultery that makes this book more fitting for 6th-8th graders. It is not a long book and with some encouragement, it should appeal to young teens who like history, solving puzzles, and learning new things.
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