Reading the Bones
Homo Naledi and the Mysteries of Human Evolution
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- Vorbestellbar
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- Erwartet am 4. Aug. 2026
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- 10,99 €
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- Vorbestellbar
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- 10,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
High-stakes adventure meets cutting-edge anthropology in this true account of the groundbreaking discovery of Homo naledi, which shocked the world of evolutionary science and redefined what it means to be human, written for young readers by a Sibert Medalist and a nationally-recognized educator.
“Are you brave enough?” That’s what anthropologist Keneiloe Molopyane texted one of her graduate students, inviting her to join a dangerous underground search for a mysterious new human ancestor, Homo naledi. Would she dare to slide through the tight spaces and sheer drops of the Rising Star cave in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, to help unlock the secrets of a tiny chamber filled with literally hundreds of fossilized bones?
Join us as we follow the exciting explorations of Dr. Molopyane, along with six female excavators known as the Underground Astronauts, the dynamic, controversial leader Dr. Lee Berger, and others as they puzzle over the remains of this strange new species with much smaller brains than ours who may have buried their dead, made tools, used fire, and left markings on rocks. Guided by Sibert Medal–winner author Marc Aronson and teacher John S. Mead, whose sixth-grade science class followed many stages of the exploration as it happened, Reading the Bones: Homo naledi and the Mysteries of Human Evolution is real science in real time. Packed with drawings, maps, and a variety of resources, this is a thrilling introduction to scientific explorers on the front lines of the hunt for connections between humans and our primate relatives and ancestors.
Are you ready to join the quest?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Aronson (Bite by Bite) and debut author Mead team up with illustrator Foley (Witch Hunt) to deliver an exceptional nonfiction work that traces the finding of a new human relative, Homo naledi, and the discovery's impact on contemporary society. A conversational prologue establishes the creators' credentials and their connection to Dr. Lee Berger, an American paleoanthropologist based in South Africa, where Homo naledi was uncovered. Seven chapters, rendered using vivid prose, outline the events leading up to the discovery. In September 2013, after cavers locate a hard-to-reach chamber in the underground Rising Star system located in the "fossil-rich region designated the Cradle of Humankind," Berger recruits a team of six female graduate and PhD students with paleoanthropology expertise, caving experience, and the ability to fit through the tight spaces. The women, now known as the Underground Astronauts, excavate 1,200 fossils, including those that lead to the unveiling of Homo naledi in 2015. Propulsive sequences—particularly those depicting the cavers' journey to the chamber, starting with a gap "so narrow each had to extend one arm forward like Superman flying through the air as they crawled"—keep readers locked into the intense and exciting narrative. Ages 10–14.
