Reading the Bones
A Peggy Henderson Adventure
- Publisher
- Dundurn
- Initial publish date
- Feb 2008
- Category
- General, Girls & Women, General
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781770702752
- Publish Date
- Feb 2008
- List Price
- $11.99
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781554885954
- Publish Date
- Feb 2008
- List Price
- $8.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781550027327
- Publish Date
- Feb 2008
- List Price
- $11.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 9 to 12
- Grade: 4
- Reading age: 9 to 12
Description
Due to circumstances beyond her control, 12-year-old Peggy Henderson has to move to the quiet town of Crescent Beach, British Columbia, to live with her aunt and uncle. Without a father and seperated from her mother, who's looking for work, Peggy feels her unhappiness increasing until the day she and her uncle start digging a pond in the backyard and she realizes the rock she's been trying to pry from the ground is really a human skull.
Peggy eventually learns that her home and the entire seaside town were built on top of a 5000-year-old Coast Salish fishing village. With the help of an elderly archaeologist, a woman named Eddy, Peggy comes to know the ancient storyteller buried in her yard in a way that few others can -- by reading the bones.
As life with her aunt becomes more and more unbearable, Peggy looks to the old Salish man from the past for help and answers.
About the author
Gina McMurchy-Barber is the author of three previous books in the Peggy Henderson adventure series: Reading the Bones (shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award), Broken Bones, and Bone Deep. Her novel Free as a Bird was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. She is also a recipient of the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History. Gina lives in Surrey, British Columbia.
Awards
- Commended, Best Books for Kids & Teens
- Short-listed, Silver Birch Award
Librarian Reviews
Reading the Bones: A Peggy Henderson Adventure
In this novel, twelve-year-old Peggy Henderson eases the loneliness of separation from her mother by getting involved in the excavation of Aboriginal remains found buried in her uncle’s backyard. With the help of an elderly archaeologist, Peggy comes to understand the significance of the find as she learns the history of the buried storyteller and of her new home, Crescent Beach, BC. Increasing tension between Peggy and her aunt pushes Peggy to a desperate act that she immediately regrets. Peggy must find a way to make amends for this rash impulse and in so doing comes to a better understanding of the adults in her life.McMurchy-Barber won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2008-2009.
Reading the Bones (Peggy Henderson Adventure)
Twelve-year-old Peggy moves to a quiet town in British Columbia to live with her aunt and uncle. She feels her unhappiness increasing until the day she and her uncle find a human skull in the backyard. She comes to know the ancient storyteller buried in her yard in a way few others can — by reading the bones.Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2009.
Other titles by
The Jigsaw Puzzle King
A Bone to Pick
A Peggy Henderson Adventure
Peggy Henderson Adventures 4-Book Bundle
A Bone to Pick / Bone Deep / Broken Bones / Reading the Bones
Bone Deep
A Peggy Henderson Adventure
Peggy Henderson Adventures 3-Book Bundle
Bone Deep / Broken Bones / Reading the Bones
When Children Play
The Story of Right to Play
Reading the Bones Teachers' Guide
Dundurn Teachers' Guide
Broken Bones
A Peggy Henderson Adventure
