The Windeby Puzzle

Lowry, Lois. The Windeby Puzzle

February 14, 2023 by Clarion Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 1952, there was a body found in a bog near Windeby, Germany during construction excavation. The lower half of the body was cut off by the equipment, but it appeared to be the remains of a young girl, with her head half shaved, wearing just a cape. Numerous guesses as to why she was there were made, and it was determined that it dated from about 41 BCE to 118 CE. After studying this for years, scientists decided that this was really the body of a young boy, and how and why he died is still up in the air. Author Lowry, captivated by this sad story, introduces readers to the archaeological backdrop, then tells the story from the point of view of Estrild, a young girl who ended up in the bog. Her story includes her longing to expand gender roles in her time period, and her wish to become a warrior like the young men in her community, which leads to herr eventual death. Lowry then tells us more about the archaeology, and proceeds to tell another story, this time of Varick, Estrild's friend and supporter. If the body in the bog was a boy, how did Varick end up there? The details of how difficult life was at the time, especially for a disabled child like Varick who was abandoned by his family, are well explained. 

Strengths: There are so few books that combine fiction with nonfiction that the only example that came to mind was Faber's Fish Finelli (2013). I think it's valuable to describe real events that occur when they motivate an author to work them into a fictional tale, and the format is new and innovative. Estrild will speak to readers who like to see girls fight against the social strictures of their times, and the details about life during this time period are drawn bleakly and well. Varick was an interesting character, so I was glad to see the story from his point of view as well. 
Weaknesses: From the beginning, it was clear that this would be a fairly bleak book, especially since we get two different versions of the bog child's death!
What I really think: Years ago, there was a book about a boy in a prehistoric cave dwelling family who found a dog and took it in. Can't remember the title, sadly, and did put a copy I reviewed in the library. I thought it was interesting, especially when read with The Dog in the Cave. My students did not share my enthusiam; I don't know that the book checked out one time. Maybe fans of Catherine Called Birdy or Yolen's A Girl in the Cage would pick this one up? Impressed me a bit like Paulsen's Northwind; authors of a certain stature can write anything that they would like, but it doesn't mean that they will recapture the magic of Hatchet or A Summer to Die. (Or The Giver, which has just never been a book I personally enjoyed, although I liked Gathering Blue.) I will not purchase unless a teacher who has read the book wants me to.