A very enlightening book to read, especially if interested in Volcanoes, archaeology or traveling to Pompeii.
Very well done with great pictures. I learned so much and can’t wait to visit!

5th/6th grade book talk for this year

I used this book in class as a supplemental text. We had been learning about various text structures, and this text worked GREAT to provide further practice identifying and analyzing text structure. The text also worked well to practice using context clues to define unfamiliar words. The writing was interesting and the pictures were amazing! Just an all-around excellent book - for pleasure reading or skill instruction!

Good overview suitable for children. Has some gruesome pictures, but most kids love that.

I read this after seeing the ruins of Pompeii myself in person. It's an interesting account of the excavations that occurred over the years, and different theories how the uncovered bodies may have died. Each person had a story to tell. It's a pretty fascinating book about the horrible death they suffered from the pyroclastic surges, their skeletons left preserved by the ash.

F&P Level V. Very long and detailed picture book about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pictures of corpses were disturbing for my young children but may have the exact amount of disgust needed to engage fifth graders.

A really comprehensive look at Pompeii- both what life was like in Pompeii and the events of those tragic days, as well as the excavation and all we've learned over the years.
I definitely recommend it for fifth grade and up, as some of the images and stories may be disturbing for younger readers. (Some made my tummy roll!)

Never has it been made so clear that these were real people who lived and then, one horrible morning, died painfuly. The remains show all too clealry the pain and the frantic nature of the aborted escape as they tired to flee, and found only death.

Very non-fiction-y! A good resource on Pompeii as well as the process of volcanic eruptions.

Absolutely fantastic! I saw this book at a traveling Pompeii exhibit and am so glad I found it again! The reading level is young adult so it's fairly simple writing but it's incredibly informative. There are dozens of full-color photos included throughout the book as well. A must-read!

Cross-posted from he reviewer's personal Goodreads account:

Deem, James M. Bodies From the Ash : Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii, NON-FICTION 50 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005. Content: PG. (Some of the images may be a little disturbing)

In the year 79, the powerful volcano Vesuvius erupted covering the ancient town of Pompeii with ashes, pumice, intense heat and debris, burying the people and buildings for hundreds of years. Full of captioned photographs, maps, and timelines, the story of the eruption is recounted, as well as the probable stories of some of the victims. Deem does a great job identifying fact and conjecture - and showing how the scientists support their guesses. I thought I knew all about Pompeii - this great resource taught me even more. A bibliography and index make this a great classroom resource.

EL, MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

Well written with detailed explanations and fantastic photos!!!