STEM at home

Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History's Mysteries

by Elizabeth MacLeod

Ages: 9-11 years

Seven cold cases from history — King Tut, Napoleon, Anastasia, and four others — examined through modern forensic science. DNA analysis, bone fragments, autopsies, ballistics, odontology: each chapter reads like a whodunit, then reveals how science settled what history couldn't. The crime-lab design keeps the pages moving, and the science is rigorous. A book that makes forensics, biology, and history feel like the same subject.

Awards: Arthur Ellis Award, Crime Writers of Canada — Juvenile/YA | Silver Medal, Independent Publisher Book Awards | EUREKA! Nonfiction Children's Book Award | Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books, Starred Selection

Why we like it: Bones Never Lie makes kids want to become scientists without ever announcing that's what it's doing. The forensic science is real — DNA testing, deductive reasoning, entomology — and the historical context gives it genuine stakes. A natural bridge between science and history for curious, independent readers.