I've seen this book in our school's book fair a lot and have always been curious about it. My daughter brought it home from her middle school book fair and couldn't get enough of it. I'll be honest...I wasn't motivated to read it until she started telling me tidbits from it "Mom...Did you know Cleopatra didn't die from a snake bite- it was a poisoned hair clip?" She got my attention but I never sat down to read it until recently (2 years later and because it was the only book left that I hadn't read on our camping trip.) Needless to say- I was hooked and so was my husband (who NEVER reads). So there we were camping out in the woods and I would read a passage from How They Croaked each night before we went to bed. A little messed up- but in the best possible way! Yes...it's gross but it's also historically and medically accurate and just enough weird enough that older kids will want to read it. It details the deaths of famous people from history- Beethoven, Caesar, Marie Antoinette, etc.- no pop stars or celebrities here! I approve and hope that maybe- just maybe- it will fuel a love for other historical books in my students. I've already made my daughter dig out the second book- How They Choked for me to read next!
