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Written in Bone : Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
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by Sally M. Walker
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Series: Exceptional Social Studies Titles for Intermediate Grades
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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.
A corresponding exhibit, also called Written in Bone, opens at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in February 2009.
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Reading Level:
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Grade 5
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Interest Level:
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Grades 5-8
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Ages:
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10-14
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Copyright:
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©2009
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Imprint:
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Carolrhoda Books
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Trim Size:
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8 3/8 x 10 1/2
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Pages:
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144
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ATOS:
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9.0
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Points:
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6.0
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Quiz:
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127307
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Lexile:
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1140
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SRC Level:
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9.00
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Book Features
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Author Biography • Author’s Note • Primary Source Quotations • Quotations • Bibliography • Black-and-White Illustrations • Full-Color Photographs • Further Reading • Glossary • Index • Maps • Source Notes • Table of Contents • Websites • Jacketed
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ISBN-10:
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0-8225-7135-8
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ISBN-13:
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978-0-8225-7135-3
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Format:
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Library Bound
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List Price:
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$ 22.95
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S&L Price*:
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$ 17.21
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• American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book
• Texas Library Association Lone Star Reading List
• Science Books & Films Best Books for Junior High and Young Adult Readers
• Tayshas Reading List
• Moonbeam Children's Book Award - Bronze Medal
• YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
• Cybils Finalist
• A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
• American Library Association (ALA) / Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Recommended Book
• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) / Children's Book Council (CBC) Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) / Children's Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
• School Library Journal Best Book
• Society of School Librarians International (SSLI) Honor Book
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Reviewed by: |
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Booklist, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Christian Library Journal, The Horn Book Magazine, The Horn Book Guide, Kirkus Reviews, Library Media Connection, NSTA, Science Books & Films, School Library Journal, VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) |
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Review Excerpts: |
 "Walker (Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, 2006 Sibert Award) places dedicated young CSI fans right at the elbows of forensic archeologists studying colonial-era burials in the Chesapeake Bay area. Focusing on nine graves, she explains in precise detail how scientists can draw sometimes-surprising conclusions about what these early settlers ate, where they came from and when, their age and sex, how they lived and died—all from subtle clues in the bones, the teeth, the surrounding dirt and, rarely, the sketchy historical evidence that survives. Her examples were all European except for one of African descent and range from a prominent relative of Maryland's founder ceremoniously interred to a teenager who seems to have been hastily buried in a cellar after being beaten to death. Readers will be enticed by both the scientific detective work and by the tantalizing mysteries that remain. Based on interviews and published sources and profusely illustrated with photos of skulls and skeletons, this makes a riveting companion to Karen Lange's 1607: A New Look at Jamestown (2007)."
--Kirkus Reviews starred review- "Walker takes readers on an archaeological investigation of human and material remains from 17th- and 18th-century Jamestown and colonial Maryland, while addressing relevant topics in forensic anthropology, history, and archaeology. The excavations encompass burial sites of colonists from various backgrounds, including a teenage indentured servant hastily buried in a trash pit, a grouping of prominent colonists laid to rest in lead coffins, and a woman of African heritage who likely toiled as a slave. Answers concerning the identity and fate of the uncovered remains are realized only after various specialists combine their findings to re-create relevant historical circumstances. In one instance, anthropologists provide anatomical details of a recovered skull to artists, who then use the data to produce the first sculpture of an American colonist of African ancestry. The text succinctly explains complex forensic concepts, such as determining the gender and age of a skeleton, or whether a skull represents a person originating from Europe or Africa. Captioned, full-color photographs of skeletal, dental, and artifactual remains shed light on colonial life. Historical documents, illustrated maps, and anatomical drawings complement images of various specialists at work in the field. Photographs of reenactors performing period tasks, such as grinding corn, provide insight into the daily life of the recovered individuals. Though other recent volumes discuss forensic anthropology, such as James M. Deem's Bodies from the Ice (Houghton, 2008), Written in Bone casts a magnifying glass on the hardships and realities of colonial life so often romanticized in American lore."
--School Library Journal starred review
- "This unusual volume, suggested to Walker by a scientist at the Smithsonian Institution, dips into American history to introduce the work of forensic anthropologists. Focusing on colonial-era sites in the Chesapeake Bay region, the large-format book provides detailed discussions and intriguing close-up views of the grave excavations at Jamestown, Virginia, as well as in three Maryland locations: Providence, St. Mary’s City, and Harleigh Knoll. With precision of her own,Walker describes the meticulous work of the archaeologists and other scientists who study skeletal remains, using physical clues as indicators of a skeleton’s sex, age, birthplace, station in society, and length of time in the colonies. They combine trained observation, background knowledge, and scientific expertise with detective skills to illuminate facets of our history; the final chapter discusses how forensic anthropology has contributed to historians’ understanding of colonial times. Nearly every page carries at least one illustration, usually a color photo but sometimes a helpful diagram, a map, or a period document or print. Back matter includes source notes, a source bibliography, a time line, and lists of recommended books and Internet sites. The reading level is relatively high and the quantity of detailed information is not for everyone, but those intrigued by forensics and history will find [Written in Bone] absolutely fascinating."
--Booklist starred review
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*The S&L price is available only to school and library customers and reflects a 25% discount off hardcovers only.
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