Awesome, Disgusting, Unusual Facts about the Wild West
From the Set Gross, Awesome History
Giddy up, partner! It's time to head to the late 1800s Wild West where people didn't bathe for weeks and ate squirrels for dinner! Struggling and reluctant readers will be fascinated to learn awesome, disgusting, and unusual facts about crazy cowboys and cowgirls, including Stagecoach Mary and Buffalo Bill, and outrageous outlaws, like Black Bart and the Wild Bunch. Carefully leveled text will have kids squirming with delight as they rush to share wacky facts with their friends.
Illustrations mixed with historical photos and sidebars keep kids engaged. A table of contents, glossary with pronunciations, further resources, and an index all enhance comprehension.
Interest Level | Grade 4 - Grade 6 |
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Reading Level | Grade 2 |
Dewey Number | 978 |
Lexile | 520L |
ATOS Reading Level | 3.2 |
Guided Reading Level | O |
Language | English |
Publisher | Black Rabbit Books |
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Format | Reinforced book |
ISBN | 9781623108946 |
Copyright | 2024 |
Number of Pages | 24 |
Dimensions | 6.5 x 9 |
Graphics | Full-color photographs |
SLJ Review of Gross, Awesome History
Historical facts can be awesome, disgusting, or both at the same time, and readers who want to know more can read this series. From gladiators and mummies, to the Middle Ages and the American Civil War, there’s a variety of information to learn. Images and infographics support the text, and bolded vocabulary words and pop-up facts, such as “People in the 1600s used mummy flesh in their medicine” (Mummies), grab the reader’s attention. Following significant events and important people in history, the text is short, and doesn’t romanticize the past “People in the Wild West dealt with terrible diseases… Fleas spread typhus… A mosquito bite could give you yellow fever…” (Wild West). The back matter has three short answer questions, a glossary and an index, and additional resources. Some of the facts are, as the titles indicate, gross, which will be the appeal to certain readers. Similar reads include the “Weird But True” and “FACTopia!” series. VERDICT For older elementary readers who love learning gross facts.