If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Marc Aronson (Author), Mike Parker Pearson (Contributor)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)

What are the secrets of the ancient stone circle? Were the carefully placed stones a burial site, an ancient calendar, a place of Druid worship...or even a site of sacrifice? World-renowned archaeologist Mike Parker-Pearson has spent the last seven years on a quest to answer these and many other questions. In If Stones Could Speak, award-winning author Marc Aronson joins the research crew and records their efforts to crack Stonehenge’s secrets. National Geographic helped sponsor the Riverside archeological team’s mission, and now young readers can journey behind the scenes to experience this groundbreaking story first-hand, through the eyes of the experts.

Mike and his team have revolutionized our understanding of Stonehenge by exploring the surrounding landscape for clues about the stones -- an idea first suggested by a visitor from Madagascar. The results have been breathtaking: The team recently unearthed the largest Neolithic village ever found in England. Marc Aronson had total access to the site, the team, and their work over two seasons of digging and brings the inspirational story of the discoveries taking place at this World Historical Site to young readers. The informative and drama-driven text includes tales of dead bodies, cremations, feasting, and ancient rituals, as well as insights into the science of uncovering the ancien t past.

The expert text, stunning photography, and explanatory maps and illustrations will all help young readers see this ancient monument in totally new ways, and inspire future generations of archaeological explorers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5–8—This title is not just an examination of recent breakthroughs at Stonehenge, but rather an essay on the process of archaeology and a hopeful reminder to future archaeologists that all the great sites are not yet dug or fully understood. In 2005, the Riverside Project, led by Mike Parker Pearson, made several significant discoveries that placed Stonehenge within a much larger Neolithic complex. Pearson began with a hypothesis, suggested by a retired archaeologist from Madagascar, that, as in Madagascar, the stone of Stonehenge was to honor ancestors and the dead, and that there would be a sister complex made of wood for the living. This idea was radically different from the previously accepted theory of Stonehenge being used as a temple. The ongoing work of the Riverside Project has revised the long-accepted dates of when Stonehenge was built and found much to support Pearson's hypothesis. Aronson writes in a casual style and addresses readers directly, which effectively conveys the excitement of this research, although it does occasionally assume some background knowledge that seems unlikely. The story of how Pearson became involved in archaeology and came to work at Stonehenge gets nearly as much attention as the work currently being done there and underscores one of Aronson's central themes—that we are constantly adding to our understanding of the past. Large, colorful photographs complement the text and several shots capture what archaeology-in-progress looks like. A useful, attractive, and highly readable book.—Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* As in his contributions to Scott Reynolds Nelson’s Ain’t Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry (2008), Aronson’s focus here is less on presenting the past as a tidy narrative than explaining how a cautious interpretation of historical—or in this case archaeological—clues can connect the dots in less-speculative ways. Aronson investigates the work of archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson and his controversial theory that Stonehenge is but one end of a memorial ritual pathway that would have had an equivalent wooden structure at the other end. Despite the challenges of looking for supporting evidence that would be at least as old as the Egyptian pyramids and that was left by a society with no written records, the painstaking digs of Pearson’s Riverside Project have turned up roadways, signs of a large prehistoric settlement, and insights into how some of the henges, mounds, and other ancient human works in the area might have been created and used. Aronson briefly mentions the 2009 discovery of an earlier stone circle (dubbed “Bluestonehenge”) nearby, sums up previous archaeological studies, and closes with an impassioned restatement of his theme—that fresh eyes can shed light on the deepest secrets of science. Time lines, resource lists, and photos of researchers at work add even more value to this informative, thought-provoking study. A uniquely perceptive look at how real science works, this covers a topic whose fascination derives in no small part from the interplay between the mysteries of the unknown and the excitement of new discovery. Grades 4-6. --John Peters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426305990
• ISBN-13: 978-1426305993
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

All of my books start with questions, and I hope they prompt readers to ask questions of their own.

I find history history endlessly fascinating. It is the detective story that yields us as the answer.

I try to write each book with the same care I would put into a novel, but with the same respect for truth as a judge in a court of law.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling!, July 12, 2010

By 

ReaderMI "ReaderMI" (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge (Library Binding)

I picked up a copy at our local library--new in the children's section--and was simply dazzled. Straightforward text, lots of photographs and drawings, appealing to readers of all ages. The author reminds his readers that sometimes even though we think we know all there is to know about something (Stonehenge, in this instance), there is really much, much more to learn. Aronson says over and over to start what others have done, but to think and see things in your own way because it may just lead to some amazing results! A must read for history buffs or wanna-be archaeologists.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This mesmerizing tale of the secrets the stones and soils of Stonehenge finally have given up will dazzle the reader!, March 14, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge (Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (Awards)) (Hardcover)

As a boy Mike Parker Pearson had archaeology in his bones, but there was no chance of him discovering anything new because all the archaeologists before him undoubtedly had discovered everything ... or had they? Men like Richard Atkinson, one of the "elegant, wise gentlemen who knew it all," had been secretive in his work and it was later discovered that during his work at Stonehenge he had made mistakes. His assistant, probably too cowed to say anything, was silent. There was something about Stonehenge that was still mysterious, uncomplete and somehow hidden. A voice half a world away needed to speak and that voice belonged to Ramilisonia, an archaeologist from Madagascar, who "could see the ancient stone circle with fresh eyes." He would join Mike and the Riverside Project Team, a team that would help the stones and the soil talk to us.

Mike, who had worked with him, brought him to the circle so he could take a look. The answer was simple, but proving it would take money, time and tenacity. "The stones were put up for the ancestors." It was a surreal moment that Mike would probably never forget. Certain things about the stones and the circle weren't up for debate. It was known that the stones were made of sarsen, "a form of stone made from grains of sand that have hardened and bonded to form a tough form of sandstone." (p. 9) The sarsens had been moved from a distance of 18 miles away while the bluestone had traveled an amazing 150 miles. Mike had been once told to "be sensible," but now was not the time. Questions needed to be answered after Ramilisonia made the connection between the stone and the wood. What secrets was this circle holding? What were the mistakes others had made? Would the soils finally give up their secrets?

This mesmerizing tale of the secrets the stones and soils of Stonehenge finally have given up will dazzle the reader, young and old alike. This is one of the most exciting archaeological books for this age group I've read in some time. When the "secrets" were finally divulged, it made the hair stand up on my arms just sensing the thrill of discovery that Mike and the Riverside Project Team must have felt. The photography, of course is wonderful, but it is the story that will wow the reader. The author states that "This is a book about questioning what others believe to be true, not accepting ideas just because famous people say they are right." The book nicely challenges the reader to think for himself and shows just what can happen when people refuse to accept everything that has come before them. If you are into the mysteries of archaeology, this is one book you're going to want to add to your list!