>Review of Case Closed by Susan Hughes

>Case Closed.…………

Egypt’s first female pharaoh disappears around 1457 BCE — was she murdered? Find out how DNA closes the case. The ancient Arabian Peninsula city of Ubar vanishes, seemingly without trace. Find out how old maps and modern space shuttles help solve the mystery. Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage is never heard from again. Find out how spectroscopy points to some probable explanations. Case Closed? examines these and six other mysteries from ancient and modern times. Accompanied by photos, maps, diagrams and illustrations, this book reveals how modern science sheds new light on people, vessels and entire civilizations throughout history that simply vanished. In some cases, the mystery has been solved. In other cases, readers can examine the latest evidence and decide for themselves.

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 88 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554533627
• ISBN-13: 978-1554533626

My 2 cents:

I have to say I was really impressed with this book.  I hate to admit I was not expecting the book to be so good.  I knew it was wonderful when my 7 year old started asking questions about each story and wanting to know if we can research more on the “web”.  There are 9 great stories in this book that are backed up with science investigation.

The nine ‘mysteries’ explored are searching for the Egyptian female pharaoh Hatshepsut, the strange disappearance of the Chinese mariner Hsu Fu, the lost city of Ubar in Arabia, the Anasazi tribes who once inhabited the ‘four corners’ of the west (where Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah join), the disappearance of explorer Sir John Franklin while searching for the Northwest Passage in 1845 and the similar disappearance of Mt. Everest climber George Mallory in 1924, the  well known mystery of the Russian Romanov Princess Anastasia, the lost flight of the Star Dust aircraft in 1974, and finally the lost Israeli submarine INS Dakar in 1968. 

I have 2 favorites of the 9 which are the Egyptian female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Princes Anastasia.  I was pleased to find that story in the book.

I know this book is meant for children, but I think the adults are going to like it just as much.  This book was well written for anyone to like.