The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story
by Lois Lowry (Author)
Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world through the suspenseful dual narrative of a boy and girl both battling to survive. In an utterly one-of-a-kind blend of fiction and history, a master storyteller explores the mystery and life of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body.
Estrild is not like the other girls in her village; she wants to be a warrior. Varick, the orphan boy who helps her train in spite of his twisted back, also stands apart. In a world where differences are poorly tolerated, just how much danger are they in?
Inspired by the true discovery of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body in Northern Germany, Newbery Medalist and master storyteller Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron age world as she breathes life back into the Windeby child, left in the bog to drown with a woolen blindfold over its eyes.
This suspenseful exploration of lives that might have been by a gifted, intellectually curious author is utterly one of a kind. Includes several arresting photos of archeological finds, including of the Windeby child.
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Publishers Weekly
Alternating via five sections between conversational history and evocative storytelling, Newbery Medalist Lowry creates a contemplative narrative around an Iron Age bog body found in northern Germany. A factual introduction describes the 1952 discovery of the 2,000-year-old body, Lowry's fascination with the "small-in-stature, middle school-age blond person" called the Windeby Girl, and the author's assembling known facts into a narrative to "solve the puzzle" of the figure's story. The first resultant telling centers 13-year-old Estrild, who longs to become the first female warrior in her Iron Age community and secretly practices warrior chants with her friend, budding naturalist Varick. A subsequent historical section reveals a recently discovered detail about the body, leading to a second fictional reimagining of the story involving Varick. In this brief, evocative work that examinines the past through a meta lens, a vividly sketched portrayal emphasizes the community's rigid gender roles and rhythms of daily life amid the natural world. Occasional art by Stroh links the sections with a recurring motif. Includes a bibliography, discussion questions, and b&w photographs. Ages 10-up. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary. (Feb.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Moving and engrossing... After learning about an ancient body found in a peat bog, Lois Lowry imagines the life that might have been in this captivating blend of fiction, archeology and bog biology." — Shelf Awareness
PRAISE FOR ON THE HORIZON: "ON THE HORIZON is deeply felt and emotive, not about sides but about people, sure to lead readers to think deeply on these dual tragedies of war. A must for all collections." — Booklist (starred review)
PRAISE FOR THE WILLOUGHBYS: "The tone of this darkly dry pastiche is consistently witty, and it's chock-full of accessible parodic references to...classic children's texts." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
PRAISE FOR THE GIVER: "Lowry is once again in top form raising many questions while answering few, and unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous reader." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV039150 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Special Needs
JUV016040 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Europe
JUV030050 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Europe
JUV009080 - Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Words
Orphans
Historical fiction
People with disabilities
Bog bodies
Novels
Iron age
Nonfiction novels
