Book Review : Case Closed?: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes

Case Closed?: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
by Susan Hughes (Writer), Michael Wandelmaier (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 88 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554533627
• ISBN-13: 978-1554533626
• Available at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
  

Egypt's first female pharaoh disappears around 1457 BCE -- was she murdered? Find out how DNA closes the case. The ancient Arabian Peninsula city of Ubar vanishes, seemingly without trace. Find out how old maps and modern space shuttles help solve the mystery. Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage is never heard from again. Find out how spectroscopy points to some probable explanations. Case Closed? examines these and six other mysteries from ancient and modern times. Accompanied by photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations, this book reveals how modern science sheds new light on people, vessels and entire civilizations throughout history that simply vanished. In some cases, the mystery has been solved. In other cases, readers can examine the latest evidence and decide for themselves.

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science is an amazingly interesting book which discloses the ways people solve ancient mysteries using modern-day Science and advanced technology. Although this book is oriented towards kids aged 8-12, I'm sure adults will also find this 88-page book engrossing, for it presents a bucketful of historical and scientific knowledge.

With her straightforward and highly-detailed explanations and the accompaniment of photos, maps, diagrams and coloured illustrations as evidences, Susan successfully creates a wonderful, entertaining book which guarantees fun and effective learning. We get to learn about mtDNA, for example, which is used to establish links between groups and civilizations, and to identify the time period a specimen may have come from. We also learn how people can manage to rediscover the Lost City of Ubar with high-end technologies and teamwork.

Cased Closed is a great book! I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will recommend it to everyone who is curious to find out the truths behind the 9 great mysteries! Pick it up, whether you're a science-loving kid, historical buff or a bibliophilic adult!

Rating:

Many thanks to Susan Hughes and Octavia Sloley from Corus Entertainment for sending me a hardcover copy of this book for this review.

Susan Hughes is a writer and editor, and has been writing children's books and articles for nearly twenty years. She writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is often asked to write a book on a topic she knows little about! So she does lots of research and briefly becomes an expert on that subject. Sometimes she works with experts, for example when she wrote about the Megalodon, the prehistoric shark, or Titanic. She lives with her three children, her boyfriend, and his two children. One of her favourite parts of the day is when all the kids come home after school and she gets to visit with them and hear stories about their day. You can read more about Susan on her website.