Move over King Tut. Lady Dai is in the house.
Debut author Liu-Perkins’ infectious curiosity shines in this exploration of a Han dynasty burial chamber excavated in 1972.
The “best preserved body in the world.” This honor goes to no ordinary mummy. It belongs to the remains of one Chinese woman known as the Marchioness of Dai, or Lady Dai. Buried beneath two hills called Mawangdui, Lady Dai’s tomb held three nobles: the marquis Li Cang, his wife, Lady Dai, and apparently one of their sons. As archaeologists dug through layers of white clay and charcoal, they uncovered more than 3,000 “astonishingly well-preserved” artifacts. Most amazing of all was Lady Dai’s body. After being buried for almost 2,200 years, her skin remained moist, her joints were movable, and her finger- and toeprints were still discernible. Other rare finds included an elaborate silk painting called a feiyi and the oldest and largest stash of silk books ever discovered in China. Based on 14 years of extensive research, the author’s storytelling is clear, inviting and filled with awe, as if she’s right there alongside the dig experts. Fictionalized vignettes of Lady Dai’s life that introduce each chapter add charm and perspective. Artifact photographs and illustrations heighten the fascination. In particular, Brannen’s illustration of Lady Dai’s chamber of multiple, nested coffins demonstrates the creative ingenuity of these ancient embalmers.
Move over King Tut. Lady Dai is in the house. (historical note, author’s note, glossary, selected bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58089-370-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
A complete, informative introduction to a nonviolent revolutionary and one of history’s most important champions of human...
A young troublemaker grows up to be a civil rights activist, president of his country and world leader in this overview of the life and work of the Nobel Prize–winning peacemaker.
In an engaging narrative that avoids hagiography, Gormley chronicles Mandela’s childhood and youth as a village herder, his successful career as a lawyer defending victims of South Africa’s apartheid policies, his work with the African National Congress, his imprisonment on Robben Island, his presidency of post-apartheid South Africa and his efforts later in life as an international peacemaker. She effectively describes the gross injustices and absurdities of apartheid policies, including numerous examples of Mandela’s personal experiences living in a racist society. Mandela’s extraordinary ability as president to ease both the fearful suspicions of whites and the vengeful impulses of long-oppressed blacks, preventing the nation from plunging into civil war, is appropriately depicted as his crowning accomplishment. The author does note that Mandela was less successful in his personal life, with two failed marriages and estranged relationships with his children.
A complete, informative introduction to a nonviolent revolutionary and one of history’s most important champions of human rights. (photos, timeline, glossary, source notes) (Biography. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2059-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
A roughly stitched-up alternative to Deborah Hopkinson’s more developed and informative hybrid, Hear My Sorrow (2004).
A large section of period photos complements a partly fictional account of the 1911 New York City fire that killed 146 factory workers.
Recently arrived on the Lower East Side with her immigrant family, 15-year-old Cecelia Napoli becomes fast friends with Rose Mehl, a Jewish teen who lives in the tenement apartment below. When Cecelia’s father contracts tuberculosis and is sent to a sanatorium, not only does Rose help Cecelia find a job at the Triangle Waist Company, but she heroically comes to her aid in the vaguely described fire. A few thin slices of Lower East Side life and a cast largely composed, except for the Napolis, of historical figures (including Rose, one of the fire’s youngest victims) do little to bring this rudimentary plot to life. Moreover, along with a mistaken claim that the fire was the city’s worst disaster before 9/11 (that “honor” goes to the sinking of the General Slocum, 1904), the author’s afterword simply summarizes information readily available in encyclopedias and recent nonfiction accounts for young readers. The photos do present telling scenes of crowded tenements, city streets and the fire’s aftermath, but two images of newspaper pages (one in Italian) are illegible except for the headlines. Four pages of discussion questions are appended, but there are no reading lists or other leads to further sources of information or pictures.
A roughly stitched-up alternative to Deborah Hopkinson’s more developed and informative hybrid, Hear My Sorrow (2004). (index) (Historical fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: March 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62619-645-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: The History Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
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