Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

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.

Author: Sally M. Walker
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (R)
Published: 02/01/2009
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.6lbs
Size: 10.60h x 8.30w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780822571353
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 9
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 127307 / Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland


Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Texas Lone Star Reading List - Commended
Award: IndieFab awards - Bronze Medal Winner
Award: Benjamin Franklin Award - Winner
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Cybils - Finalist
Award: Moonbeam Children's Book Award - Bronze Medal Winner
Award: Beehive Awards - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2009
School Library Journal 02/01/2009 pg. 127
Booklist 02/01/2009 pg. 41
Kirkus Review - Children 02/01/2009
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2009 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2009 pg. 328
Kirkus Best Children's Books 11/15/2009 pg. 18
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2009 pg. 37
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/01/2010 pg. 12
ALA Notable Children's Books 03/01/2010 pg. 28
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2009 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Walker, Sally M.: - 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.