BIBLIOGRAPHY
Deem, James M. 2008. Bodies from the Ice. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0-618-80045-2

PLOT SUMMARY
Imagine hiking with a friend on an icy mountain range, enjoying being in nature and you discover a body buried in the ice. This book is just what the title says – Bodies in the Ice. Due to glaciers melting at rapid rates, many mysteries of our past are being discovered opening the door to answers about missing persons and insights to our past. The story takes you step by step through how scientists work to uncover the answers, while also providing detailed information about glaciers.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Here is a book that is written by James M. Deem who likes an adventure. Deem’s writing is very factual and compelling. The pictures are graphic in their details, but also illustrate what you should expect to see when looking at mummies that are hundreds to thousands of years old. He provides factual history about Otzi, a 5,300-year-old-body discovered in the Austrian Alps, George Mallory, who died climbing Mt. Everest, Inca children who were sacrificed to the gods, and the step-by-step process that scientist go through when investigating these mummies.

I really enjoyed the wealth of glaciological information (the study of glaciers). He provides information on types of glaciers, the father of glaciology - Louis Agassiz, mountain information, and personal ways we can help the environment. There are also great websites about glaciers, Otzi the Iceman, Inca discoveries, George Mallory and Kwaday Dan Ts’Inchi Archaeology. Be sure to check out his list of glaciers to visit with several that we have in Alaska and Canada.
This book offers lots of science, great authentic photographs, maps, sidebars, artifacts, historical paintings, bibliography and an index. Great for ages 9-adult.

The book design is by YAY! Design. The text of this book is set in Meridien. Maps by Jerry Malone

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 5–8—Deem's lucid account explores mummified remains recovered from several glacial locations and time periods. The many discoveries presented include the famous 5300-year-old Alpine Iceman Ötzi, the mummified Incan children of the Andes Mountains, and the identification of George Mallory's body on Mount Everest. The background and methodology of glaciology are examined, as are relevant issues in climate change and archaeology; historical photographs of glaciers are compared to modern photographs of the same, much-receded ice. Full-color photographs, reproductions, and maps are clearly captioned; grand images of glaciated mountain peaks span entire pages, and detailed pictures of recovered objects, including the mummies themselves, the Iceman's ax, and surviving fabric fragments are presented. To nitpick one point, Deem states that scientists "don't understand" why the Ice Age glaciers retreated, instead of mentioning the Milankovitch cycles as a consensus explanation. Nonetheless, this volume provides updated information, including new insights into the causes of the Iceman Ötzi's death. With its extensive bibliography, suggested Web sites, and a listing of glaciers to visit, Bodies is a fantastic resource. Deem superbly weaves diverse geographical settings, time periods, and climate issues into a readable work that reveals the increasing interdisciplinary dimensions of the sciences.—Jeff Meyer, Slater Public Library, IA
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From Booklist
There are books about melting glaciers and books about frozen bodies, but this attractive offering combines the topics in a way that will intrigue readers. It begins with a chance discovery by walkers in northern Italy who find a thawing corpse originally thought to be from the 1800s. Scientists later realized the body was more than 5,000 years old. As glaciers melt throughout the world, more frozen bodies are appearing, adding greatly to the knowledge researchers have about history and culture. Individual chapters cover types of glaciers and why they are fertile territory for housing bodies; the Chamonix glacier, which saw women climbers in the early 1800s; and the mystery of George Mallory, who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. Perhaps most fascinating to kids will be the chapter on recently discovered Incan children sacrificed to the gods. The pictures of these children, looking as though they might be sleeping, are arresting. Heavily illustrated with historical memorabilia as well as photos of bodies, scenery, artifacts, and rather simplistic maps, this offers a lot to look at and learn about. Grades 4-7. --Ilene Cooper

CONNECTIONS
Other Books
Deem, James M. Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in ancient Pompeii. ISBN-10: 0618473084 ISBN-13: 978-0618473083
Deem, James M. Bodies from the Bog. ISBN-10: 0618354026 ISBN-13: 978-0618354023
James M. Deem Website
http://www.jamesmdeem.com
Glaciers – Student Activities
http://www.amphi.com
Hands on Lessons and Activities about Glaciers
http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org

AWARDS/HONORS
2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Award Honor Book
awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association
Finalist for the 2010 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books
Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2008
Notable Book for Children 2009
chosen by the American Library Association
2009 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12
chosen by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council
2008 New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book 2009 (10-14)
Nominated for:
the Young Hoosier Book Award, Middle Grades, 2010-2011
the South Dakota Library Association Prairie Pasque Awards for Grades 3-5, 2010-2011
the Garden State Teen Book Award for Nonfiction Grades 6-12, 2011