Written in Bone
Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
One of the Best Books of the Year: Chicago Public Library, School Library Journal, Science Books & Films
Bright white teeth. Straight leg bones. Awkwardly contorted arm bones. On a hot summer day in 2005, Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution peered into an excavated grave, carefully examining the fragile skeleton that had been buried there for four hundred years. “He was about fifteen years old when he died. And he was European,” Owsley concluded. But how did he know?
Just as forensic scientists use their knowledge of human remains to help solve crimes, they use similar skills to solve the mysteries of the long-ago past. Join author Sally M. Walker as she works alongside the scientists investigating colonial-era graves near Jamestown, Virginia, as well as other sites in Maryland. As you follow their investigations, she’ll introduce you to what scientists believe are the lives of a teenage boy, a ship’s captain, an indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an enslaved African girl. All are reaching beyond the grave to tell us their stories, which are written in bone.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
|
978-0-8225-7135-3
|
$17.24 | |
|
978-1-4677-6988-4
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$27.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 5 - Grade 8 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 5 |
| Genre | Social Studies |
| Category | 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction |
| Copyright | 2009 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Carolrhoda Books ® |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 144 |
| Publication Date | 2009-01-01 |
| Reading Counts! Level | 11.4 |
| Reading Counts! Points | 9.0 |
| Text Type | Narrative Nonfiction |
|---|---|
| BISACS | JNF025190, JNF038100, JNF051000 |
| Dewey | 614'.17 |
| Dimensions | 8.375 x 10.5 |
| Lexile | 1140 |
| Guided Reading Level | X |
| ATOS Reading Level | 9.0 |
| Accelerated Reader® Quiz | 127307 |
| Accelerated Reader® Points | 6.0 |
| Features | Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Glossary, Index, Maps, Primary source quotations/images, Reviewed, Source notes, Starred Reviews, and Table of contents |
Author: Sally M. Walker
Sally M. Walker has been a children’s book writer for over 20 years. Most of her books are nonfiction and present various science topics to young readers. Fossil Fish Found Alive is the story of the hunt for the elusive fish called the coelacanth. Sally also enjoys combining science investigation with historical topics. Her book Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, which won the 2006 Robert F. Sibert Medal, tells about the history, loss, and re-discovery of the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in battle. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland takes readers on archaeological expeditions, where the forensic analysis of colonial settlers’ bones helps us to understand their lives. Sally especially enjoys writing narrative nonfiction that captures the reader’s attention with a true story. She is also the author of 2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book Champion: The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut.
Awards
- National Endowment for the Humanities Nonfiction Booklist for Young Readers
- ForeWord Magazine INDIES Book of the Year Bronze Award
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Cybils Finalist
- ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist
- Science Books & Films Best Books
- SSLI Book Award Honor Book
- NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
- NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
- Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book
- School Library Journal Best Book
- Tayshas Reading List
- Texas Library Association Lone Star Reading List
- YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
- YALSA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
- Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
- Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee
- ALA Notable Children's Books
- Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books