How they Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Bragg, G.  (2011).  How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous.  New York: 

Walker and Company.

Within these pages are a list of historic and very well-known people who have had an impact on history around the world.  The reader is given background information on each person discussed in this literary work, such as what their lives were like when they were alive and the events that lead up to their death.  There are also interesting tidbits about how they had an influence in society, which has had an impact on the way things are today in the present.  These cartoon-like sketched illustrations by Kevin O’Malley are comical, which fits with the sardonic tone of the narrator.  Bragg makes the learning of historic figures fun with her witty sense of humor and brief straight to the point details.  This is an excellent resource for secondary level kids needing to do research on one of these famously dead people, especially because it has an explanation about how they all became connected throughout history.  This is a 2012 Notable Children’s Book.