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3.0 

The Windeby Puzzle

By Lois Lowry
The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

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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The Windeby Puzzle Reviews

3.0
“This book had such a compelling premise and so much potential, but was ultimately a disappointment. I would have preferred the book was structured as one fully fleshed out narrative with the historical context and author commentary included as an afterward. I would have been able to overlook the unconventional format had the stories been good. They weren't. Estrild is a wants to become a warrior in a culture with very rigidly defined gender roles. This has the potential to be a powerful driving force to the plot, but instead she just believes in her heart that if she dresses the part, she will be accepted with open arms and everyone will be so awed and inspired by her. It's such a naïve (delusional?) mindset that it ruins the plausibility of the entire storyline. And Varick's story is equally unbelievable. Within the book, Lowry references medical knowledge in natural remedies such as honey and willow bark, as well as established midwifery. Yet for some reason, in this Iron-Age village, Varick's the only person with the medical knowledge to . I did a quick google search because I could not believe that a culture familiar with metalsmithing and leather tanning wouldn't know how to , and of course the archeological records show plenty of examples of that happening very skillfully and deliberately in the Iron Age. So his storyline almost reads as an insult to the entire culture - the "smart" and "good" characters poke fun at their religious superstitions, and there's not even the concept of a healer because, well, shouldn't they just have the druids pray over it? Lowry touched on some powerful themes and undoubtedly has the capability to do them justice, but it wasn't done here.”

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