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Children's Fiction General

Reading the Bones

A Peggy Henderson Adventure

by (author) Gina McMurchy-Barber

Publisher
Dundurn
Initial publish date
Feb 2008
Category
General, Girls & Women, General
Recommended Age
9 to 12
Recommended Grade
4
Recommended Reading age
9 to 12
  • 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

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

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.

Gina McMurchy-Barber's profile page

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.

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