Death by Exposure: An Interactive Mystery

Marie St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

Brother and sister Ben and Julia find the body of a man who has been
entombed for 50 years in a Rocky Mountain glacier. They also find camera
equipment and a notebook.

This book, which combines a fictional mystery and nonfiction, provides
young readers with an exceptional learning experience. In their
introduction, Walters and Spreekmeester tell readers that in order to
solve the mystery, they must first read the story, then study the
photographs, then do some geography and mapping (“Fun with Latitude
and Longitude”). Next the reader is asked to decode the numbers on the
photos developed from the film in the iceman’s camera (“Fun with
Secret Codes”). The photos depict Canadian landmarks, and the decoding
may provide clues as to where the landmarks are located and, hence,
where the iceman has been and who he might be. Notes on these wonderful
black-and-white photographs are provided at the end of the book. The
notes also include a number of websites for kids to visit to learn more
about Canada.

Eric Walters has written more than 25 award-winning children’s books.
Kevin Spreekmeester’s work has been featured in many publications,
including the National Geographic, Maclean’s, and Outdoor Photography.
Preteens will have fun reading their hybrid book. Recommended.