Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Starred Review You've heard about Vincent van Gogh's sliced-off ear, but what about Mata Hari, whose head went missing from the Museum of Anatomy in Paris? Or Elvis Presley's (wait for it) wart, removed by a doctor in 1958 and eventually sold to a private collection? Heck, there are pieces of Galileo (molars! vertebrae! fingers!) all over the place. In this wacky, gross, and remarkably informative volume, Beccia collects the gnarly stories of famous body parts that have been preserved throughout history. In mostly chronological order, she dedicates chapters to these historical figures, some of whom will be familiar to young readers and some of whom will not. First up is Inês de Castro, who died in 1355 and whose entire body was kept by her lover, the king of Portugal, who placed her corpse on the throne next to his. Thomas Edison wraps things up: when he died, in 1931, his final breath was preserved in a glass jar. Interspersed with these chapters are sections on the science behind death, dying, and preservation, and bite-size tales of other thematically relevant deaths and death rituals. Frequent black-and-white spot art and snarky footnote asides add comedy to this already high-interest blend of history and science. Entertaining and fascinating, with a clever incorporation of STEM topics.

Horn Book

Elderly Bo lives with young Koko, who greets every direction with "I DON'T WANT TO!" Bo doesn't press, knowing that Koko will eventually see the logic behind wearing a coat (it's cold outside), getting out of bed (how else to get breakfast?), etc. Readers yearning for bratty Koko's comeuppance may be disappointed, but this sweet intergenerational-friendship tale from Sweden features beguiling skewed-line illustrations.

Kirkus Reviews

This gleefully macabre mix of history and science relates true stories about the mysterious fates of body parts from the famous and infamous.Told in frequently grisly detail are tales about King Pedro of Portugal, who had the corpse of his dead love crowned as his queen; Vincent Van Gogh, who sent his ear to a woman he admired; the thefts of Franz Josef Haydn's head and Albert Einstein's brain; the heart of Percy Bysshe Shelley, which would not burn when his body was cremated; how actress Sarah Bernhardt put her amputated leg in storage; and how a wart removed from Elvis Presley in 1958 is now in the possession of the owner of one of the world's largest Elvis memorabilia collections. In addition, Beccia dispenses such grimly fascinating facts as: that the skins of hanged criminals were sometimes tanned and made into such articles as belts, bags, boots, and fancy book covers; that teeth extracted from corpses were used to make dentures; and that local executioners made extra money selling the fat of hanged criminals to make candles and soap. Beccia's light, cheeky approach to the subject matter is tailor-made for a middle-grade audience: "See, bodies are a lot like egg-salad sandwiches—the colder they're kept, the less likely they will stink over time." The author's wry, black-and-white cartoons are of a piece with both tone and content.Readers fond of the gruesome and grotesque with a heavy dose of humor will find much to enjoy here. (bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this quirky, clever compendium, Beccia (Fashion Rebels) digs through history to unearth stories about the posthumous fates of notorious individuals- body parts. These include Galileo-s fingers, vertebra, and a molar, purloined by men tasked with moving his body to a more prestigious spot a century after his death; Franz Joseph Haydn-s head, swiped from his newly interred coffin for scientists to study; Sarah Bernhardt-s leg, amputated after an onstage fall and preserved in a French medical school-s storage room; and Thomas Alva Edison-s literal last breath, captured in a vial and sent to the inventor-s closest friend, Henry Ford. The author-s chatty, irreverent narrative profiles each highlighted luminary and offers supplementary info on such topics as embalming, phrenology, and cryonics-and ample doses of downright creepy, kid-pleasing trivia. Footnotes contain some factual clarification, but largely provide off-the-cuff commentary that will further engage readers (comparing John Wilkes Booth to a -Hollywood A-lister- of today, Beccia adds, via footnote, -Ryan Gosling also happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Booth-). Etching-like period illustrations echo the macabre underpinnings of the text and its playfully subversive tone. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)