51. Bodies from the Ice

Title: Bodies from the Ice
Author: James M. Dean
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright Date: 2008
Number of Pages: 58
Reading Level: 13+
Genre: Nonfiction

Summary
Erika and Helmut Simon had scaled the peak of Similaun before but this time it would be more difficult. They then climbed the nearby mountain Finail. On this hike they notices something interesting in the snow and on closer inspection found that it was a human body. After reporting the discovery the Austrians believed the body to be on their side. Italy didn’t dispute this until later when they realized the excavation area was on their side. The corpse was badly damaged because of mishandling to free it from the ice. At first authorities believed the man to be a recent time, most likely a hiker who lost his way or fell to some untimely death. Later they realized that his man had been encased in a tomb of ice and was perfectly preserved. The man lived over 5,300 years ago. They now believe that the ice man’s death was due to a blow to the head immediately after being shot with an arrow. Scientist at first didn’t understand how the ice man had stayed so well preserved and in one piece. Often hikers who fall in crevasses will be carried inside the ice as it moves to the snout. This will cause the body to break up and spread out. From 1500 to 1850 people of Europe held strong superstitions about glaciers, they believed that dragons lived on them or that witches danced there and sometimes that the devil lived on them and that would be where sinners went. It wasn’t until the 1600’s that the glaciers were explored. The children of the Andes who were sometimes offered as sacrifices. The three children who were the best preserved still had blood in the hearts, air in the lungs and their brains looked as though they had died only moments ago. The book next talks of the speculation of who reached the top of Mount Everest first. Many different excavations have been performed to recover the bodies of Mallory and Irvine who it is believed may have reached the summit before falling to their deaths. The book gives a sort of call to action about saving the past and saving the glaciers. Pollution is depleting the O-Zone and eventually the glaciers will be gone and fresh water sources will be majorly depleted.

Recommendation
I would recommend this first to boys. They would be most interested in the chilling pictures.

Problems/Conflict
There are some graphic images of skeletons that could be scary or disturbing to younger children. The young Incan children are especially chilling because they look almost like they could still be alive.

My Reaction
Wow! Scientists are amazing. They can tell what season the person died in, what their meals had consistently been and how old the bodies are. I am so impressed with this book because of the advances there are in science to help us uncover our past. The Incan children intrigued me the most. It is amazing how well preserved they were.