Reviews

"Right from the opening words, readers will find themselves glued to this fact-filled foray into the fine art of forensics."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This readable book is a fine example of the application of scientific knowledge to the 'real' world."
— School Library Journal (starred review)
"Science lovers will appreciate this book. There are only 175 bone detectives practicing in North America who are 'trained to extract the most amount of information from the least amount of bone.'
The book follows Dr. Charney who describes the mystery, the mental and physical processes of discovering the truth about recent murders or historic personages ranges from the Iceman to Jesse James."
— Children's Literature
"Show kids a full-color cover photo featuring shelf upon shelf crowded with skulls, and you're certain to get their attention. The rest of the book won't disappoint, either. Jackson follows forensic anthropologist Dr. Michael Charney and his colleagues as they solve an actual case by developing a physical profile from bones and teeth, reconstructing the victim's skull, and using clues from fibers and other material to make further identification…"
— Booklist

Awards

The Bone Detectives has also won numerous awards, including:

An American Library Association (ALA) Best Book
An International Reading Association (IRA) Teacher's Choice
A Junior Literary Guild Selection
School Library Journal "Best Books of 1996" list
An NCSS - CBC Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Science
An NSTA - CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children
A New York Public Library "100 titles for Reading and Sharing"
Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" list
Society of School Librarians Best Book in Social Studies, grades 7-12
Pennsylvania School Librarians Association "Best of the Best Top Ten Books for Yound Adults"

Cited in Great Books About Things Kids Love by Kathleen Odean
(Ballantine Books, 2001)