Fingerprints and Talking Bones (Books for Young Readers) (Paperback)

by Charlotte Jones (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Kids fascinated by crime stories, science, or detective series books will have fun with this straightforward look at the technology of crime solving. Logically organized, the book includes chapters with titles such as "Get a Clue!," "Skeletons Talking," and "Body Language," each of which deals with just what its title suggests. A resourceful reader could probably base a very nice science report on this book, in fact.

Never gory or gross, and often even funny, especially when explaining things such as the reason police analyze a murder victim's stomach contents, Fingerprints and Talking Bones includes a glossary, cool crime facts, and a bibliography.

[For kids 10 and up.] --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. This fascinating book explains the many ways police and detectives use science and technology to help them solve crimes. Jones describes how things such as fibers from a carpet, shoe prints, fingerprints, and blood type have been used to expose culprits. However, the author goes beyond these familiar detection techniques to include some pretty amazing feats. For example, criminals like the Unabomber have been identified through analysis of the DNA in their saliva taken from envelopes they licked while sending threatening letters. Voice prints, bite marks, and footprints, all of which are as unique as fingerprints, are discussed as clues to help cops crack cases. The many parties that assist in investigations are outlined, such as artists who are trained to draw portraits of suspects from witnesses' descriptions; police dogs; and robots that can walk into dangerous situations and not risk injury. Be forewarned?this is not a book for the squeamish. Maggots in rotting corpses, analysis of a murder victim's stomach contents, and the way blood splatters are introduced as ways forensic evidence is used to point a finger at the guilty party. While the black-and-white illustrations are not graphic in content, they are exaggerated and some even border on the grotesque. They are uneven in quality and do little to enhance the overall presentation. Nonetheless, like Jones's Mistakes That Worked (Doubleday, 1991) and Accidents May Happen (Delacorte, 1996), Fingerprints is bound to be popular, both for reports and for curious readers wanting to know not only "who done it?" but also how.?Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (February 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440413184
• ISBN-13: 978-0440413189
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #748,758 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fingerprints and Talking Bones., May 31, 2001

A Kid's Review

I did my review on Fingerprints and Talking Bones. It`s how real-life crimes are sloved. From geting the clue to U.S. crime facts this is a very good book. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. It tells you storys of cases that was sloved related to that clue. For ex. it may say cats and have a story on how a crime was solved with the help of a cat. That is why I give this book 4 stars.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good info but gory, March 19, 2004

By A Customer

I would NOT recommend this book for younger kids. It treats death too flippantly. Too many stories about dogs helping to find dead little girl's bodies and killers dropping bodies in places and... death on most of the pages. Judge the maturity of your kid to handle this stuff before you buy! Otherwise, the facts are interesting on things they use to solve crimes.