It's said that "dead men tell no tales" -- yet their bones have some interesting stories to reveal. That's what police depend on when the only clues to a crime are the bones of the victim. Then it's time to call in the "bone detectives".

Following forensic anthropologist Dr. Michael Charney step-by-step through an investigation, this book shows how a person's sex, race, age, height, and weight can be determined from studying his or her bones and teeth; how markings on bones can be "read" to establish cause of death; how a sculptor uses clay to reconstruct a face from a skull so it can be publicized in the media and possibly recognized; and how all of this information can be used to help crack a case.

Curious young readers will revel in every eerie detail of award-winning journalist Donna Jackson's lively text and Charlie Fellenbaum's full-color photographs as they discover how these fascinating detectives help the stories behind the bones come to life.

• January 2012 Indie Next List
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