Ancient Underground Structures

Ancient Underground Structures is part of the “Underground Worlds” series. The series focuses on natural and manufactured structures and systems. Ancient Underground Structures looks at structures built by humans as far back as 1500 B.C.E. Some of those structures were originally built as burial chambers, tunnels, mines, or storage spaces but have been repurposed through the ages, especially during times of war or overcrowding.

Like other books in the “Underground Worlds” series, Ancient Underground Structures presents interesting content using many excellent photos and graphic illustrations supported by sparse text. Each topic includes a “DID YOU KNOW” circle text box with additional attention-grabbing information. For example, “Legend has it that Robin Hood even used these tunnels to get in and out of Nottingham Castle!”

One of my favourite features of the layout of the books in the “Underground Worlds” series is the grass growing at the top of many pages. It is a nice reminder that the information in the books in this series is all ‘underground’.

The series follows the standard nonfiction format, including a table of contents, glossary, index, and a short list of books and websites with further information on the topics.

Although the books are only 32 pages long and the text content is limited, the format is sure to catch the interest of many students and may entice some to dig further into some of the engaging topics. (Pun intended.)