Bones Unearthed! (Creepy and True #3)

by Kerrie Logan Hollihan

Overview

Discover all the mysteries, facts, and discoveries about skeletons that are creepy—and true—in the much-anticipated companion to Mummies Exposed! and Ghosts Unveiled!

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath our feet? Bones have a story to tell—and not always a happy one.

Bones Unearthed!, book 3 of the Creepy and True series, investigates remarkable discoveries of skeletal remains and what they reveal about human civilization. Combining fascinating history with science, award-winning author Kerrie Logan Hollihan unearths the truth about famous bones by exploring forensic evidence, archaeology, anthropology, medicine, and folklore.

Meticulously researched and respectful, yet light and humorous in tone, these cryptic tales of murder and mayhem span across cultures and millennia, covering everything from Aztec skull racks, the cannibals of Jamestown, and Benjamin Franklin’s basement boneyard, to frozen sailors in the Arctic and the centuries-long search for the body of King Richard III.

From cemeteries to laboratories to excavation sites around the world, Bones Unearthed! digs deep into the graves of the dearly departed. For readers who can’t get enough of the macabre, this quirky nonfiction narrative will disturb and delight.

Includes color illustrations throughout, as well as endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Creepy and True series explores strange phenomena, fun facts, and out of the ordinary discoveries.
The Creepy and True series:
Mummies Exposed! (#1)
Ghosts Unveiled! (#2)
Bones Unearthed! (#3)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419755354
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/23/2021
Series:	Creepy and True , #3
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	454,245
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Kerrie Logan Hollihan writes award-winning nonfiction for kids and teens, including the Creepy and True series. Her books have been honored by VOYA Magazine, the Amelia Bloomer Project, Smithsonian, and more. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Introduction v

Chapter 1 Digging on the Bones of a King 1

Chapter 2 Stones and Bones … Krakatoa and Tambora 22

Chapter 3 De-icing the Franklin expedition-Down to the Bones 48

Chapter 4 The Calamity of Jane 67

Chapter 5 Benjamin Franklin's Basement Boneyard 84

Chapter 6 Human Offerings Here, There, and Everywhere 105

Chapter 7 Battles of the Bones and Other Things 124

Chapter 8 Shafted 149

Chapter 9 Bones and Benevolence 165

Afterword 179

Notes 182

Select Bibliography 190

General Sources 193

Picture Credits 194

Acknowledgments 196

Index 197

Editorial Reviews

"Hollihan's enthusiasm for her subject comes through in her detailed conversational text."

HornBook Magazine

"Photos aplenty add to the fun with views of skulls or half-excavated skeletons in situ, archaeological sites, fleshed-out portrait reconstructions, and historical images. . .Solidly researched and, no bones about it, both eye-and mind-widening." —Kirkus Reviews

"Hollihan's enthusiasm for her subject comes through in her detailed conversational text." —HornBook Magazine

"The high-interest back stories are compelling, weaving history, geology, biology, math, criminology, and anthropology into the narrative to provide explanations to some gory bits from history." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Gr 4–7—In the latest installment of the "Creepy and True" series, a range of scientific disciplines are tapped in this exploration of bones rediscovered and reinterpreted with modern science. The high-interest back stories are compelling, weaving history, geology, biology, math, criminology, and anthropology into the narrative to provide explanations to some gory bits from history. Stories about cannibalism and grave robbing will hook in readers, but the text also delves into the responsibilities of discovery. Each chapter takes on a topic and digs in with several historical examples. In the chapter titled "Shafted," incidents of bones found in mines and wells are explored, including the first evidence of homicide from Cranium-17, the death of the Romanov family in Russia, and the catacombs in Paris. There are a few instances where illustrations are not aligned because the narrative has moved on to the next example. Technical vocabulary is explained as is the research that was done to glean information from the found bones. The book has a conversational tone and manages a sense of humor despite the cadaverous subject. VERDICT This accessible informational text will appeal to readers who gravitate toward the morbid and scientific.—Erin Wyatt, Highland M.S. Libertyville, IL

School Library Journal

2021-07-27
Murder and mayhem from the annals of osteoarchaeology, with modern instances of cannibalism and like chewy topics on the side.

Continuing her ventures into the more lurid corners of history and prehistory, Hollihan opens with the discovery and excavation of King Richard III’s hacked bones from beneath a modern parking lot and closes with the still-ongoing project of piecing together and identifying the jumbled skeletons of hundreds of servicemen who died in the bowels of the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. In between she reports on rattling finds including the 10,000-plus 13th-century burials at London’s Spitalfields and the immense tolls of various volcanic explosions. She also tucks into Inuit accounts of the ill-fated Franklin expedition and other well-documented cases of people becoming cuisine and, with a certain relish, details how the last czar and his family were shot, stabbed, looted, splashed with acid, dismembered, burned, buried, and reburied. Providing some contrast, she also describes digs that uncovered couples holding hands or hugging each other and sensitively reports on controversies with Native American and other Indigenous groups over the custody of remains like those of Kennewick Man. Photos aplenty add to the fun with views of skulls or half-excavated skeletons in situ, archaeological sites, fleshed-out portrait reconstructions, and historical images. In the pictures, most but not all of the faces (the ones with skin still attached anyway) are White.

Solidly researched and, no bones about it, both eye- and mind-widening. (source notes, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews