Bone Dectective, Vol. 7

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

A serious crime has been committed and evidence of it has just come to light. Apparently someone has been murdered. Just like a TV program or a movie, this story opens with a crime in progress. Today's technology and the Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs) make getting rid of all traces of a person nearly impossible. These CSIs check for fingerprints, hairs, and fibers. Unlike what some may have seen on television, these professionals make sure that they do not contaminate any other potential evidence by wearing overalls and covering their hair. They also make sure the samples of everything they pick up are placed in secure containers. Another person involved in the crime scene investigation is a bone detective or forensic scientist. These scientists can determine just about anything based on the bones of a person they have found. For example they can learn the sex, age, race and even how a person may have died. Some of these individuals are skilled enough to be of help to reconstruct what a face may have looked like. Teeth can provide information as well as DNA. The good news in this book is that an accident and not a murderer that caused the death of the individual who was found in the forest. There is a brief one-page glossary titled "Need-to-Know Words," a few websites to visit and an index. The story is plausible and the presentation of the information is clear and quite enlightening. A good choice for older students who are not reading on grade level as well as those who are. Part of the "Crabtree Contact" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot