- A short video of my visit
created by the librarians
Hello, Grades 6-8!
I spent three days with
you recently, speaking to each grade about a different topic. I told
everyone about how I grew up to become a writer (and a college
professor) and the types of books I ended up writing.
Grade 6, I spoke to
you about my book Bodies from the Ash:
Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii. I described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79
destroyed Pompeii, explained how Pompeii was rediscovered and
excavated, and then outlined how the plaster casts of the victims
were made. If you want to know more about the plaster casts and
Pompeii, you can visit this page to start.
Grade 7, I spoke to you
about my book, Bodies from the Ice:
Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. I explained how
little I knew about glaciers when I began to research the book and
what I learned about them. I then talked about Ötzi and the many
mistakes that were made when he was recovered from the ice. I also
showed you some other interesting bodies that have been found in
melting glaciers. More information about glacier mummies can be found
on this
page.
Grade
8, I spoke to you about my book, Bodies
from the Bog. I explained what bogs are and how the ancient
people of Europe used them. I showed you many examples of bog bodies
(and a few bog objects) including Yde Girl, Grauballe Man, and the
Weerdinge Men. For more information about these bog bodies and many
others, you can visit this
page,
And I answered many
questions at the end of each presentation.
Each day I met
with small groups of students from each grade during lunch to talk
about writing and answer questions. We had a great time discussing
things over pizza.
