Creepy and True: Bones Unearthed!, non-fiction that fires up readers

The Goldilocks paradigm is a floating rule that I use in elementary and middle school literature. It’s too young. It’s too old. There are too many pages. It’s too scary. It’s too princessy, etc. If a book skews too much one way or another it’ll alienate those ages or types that might be interested in it, but are scared off by something about the book. Bones Unearthed! gives our Goldilocks paradigm a cheeky grin, hugs it, and then welcomes readers of any porridge type as if saying, “all are welcome here”.

Having said that, Creepy and True: Bones Unearthed! has a cover that might scare off readers due to the skeletons that are seemingly looking through your soul. And I get it, skeletons can be creepy, Poltergeist taught me that lesson as a teenager, thank you very much. However, when readers open Bones Unearthed! and dig into the text, they’ll discover bite-sized, STEM-minded content that will engage and entertain ages nine and up. Kids will come for the skeletons but stay for the entertaining snippets about archeology, their discovery, or the way things were back in the day.

It is important to point out that this is not a book about mummies, more on that in a moment. Bones Unearthed! is strictly about skeletons, bones, and the stories about them. Some of the stories are ironic or just under our feet, like a group of history buffs who suspected that King Richard III was not where everyone thought he was.

The genius and quality of Bones Unearthed! is exemplified in the first chapter that talks about him. My knowledge, as well as, interest level in English history is nill. Hundreds, nay, a couple of thousands of years of history with kings who all seem to be named Richard, Edward, or Henry is a great way to glaze over my eyes. However, the book manages to bring the intrigue, double-crosses, action, and mystery to life in a way that fans of the Bard have tried to tell me for years.

That story starts out with a great hook and follows it up with a handful of paragraphs about his life that spotlights the tumultuous period that led to his dead, naked body being slung over the back of a horse and paraded around town. The following five generations of Henry rulers went on to disparage Richard III’s reputation all over England. There were writing competitions to see who could sully his reputation the worst, with William Shakespeare offering his take on it in his play, Richard III.

Did you learn about the Henry king who had six wives? That was King Henry VIII, but the monks would not let him divorce one of them, so he knocked down their friary. All of the bricks that made up the building were repurposed and the footprint where the building once stood, was neglected. Unfortunately for the grave (and fans of) Richard III, it was forgotten for hundreds of years until 2012.

Time marched on, the city landscape changed, feet of dirt accumulated and the final resting place of Richard III was located in a parking lot in Leicester. Even when a body was found, DNA analysis had to be done and it was all topped off with a grand press conference. This is just one story that will grab readers by the scruff of their neck and all but demand that the stories be read, but not in a mean way. It’s like trying to watch only one cat video or eating only one potato chip. You’ll try to only engage in one, but 20 minutes later you’re contemplating rescuing a kitten, researching low-salt chips, or wondering if there’s a body buried under the patio of your local coffee place.

Bones Unearthed! is complemented by dozens upon dozens of photographs, many of which are in color, maps of the area in question, historical documents, and more. The combination of vivid photos, accessible chapters, and witty writing make this a book that people who don’t like non-fiction will easily get sucked into.

Now, about those mummies… The Creepy and True series by Kerrie Logan Hollihan is easily one of our favorites and something that we recommend to any library that we’re working at. Bones Unearthed! is the third book in the series with the first of them being Mummies Exposed! What’s the difference between a mummy and a skeleton? One has been through the process of mummification and the other has been dumped, while the other one buried by an act of nature or catastrophe. Some will say that the difference between a mummy and a skeleton is just a sharp stick in the nose and a boat to take you through the underworld. The books are different enough to stand on their own, especially when you factor in that these are non-fiction books that draw in reluctant readers who are in upper elementary school. It’s very ironic that a book that’s focused on the dead, crackles with so much vigor, life, and humor.  

Creepy and True: Bones Unearthed! is by Kerrie L. Hollihan and available on Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams Books.

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