14 A RT I C L E S
Reading for the
Mystery in Nonfiction
Science Books
M Y R A Z A R N OWS K I
This article describes how selected nonfiction
science books can be read as mystery stories
featuring people confronting problems, gathering
evidence, tossing aside preconceived ideas when
necessary, and finding solutions.
MYSTERY STORIES HAVE great appeal for intermediate-grade and middle school readers. They enjoy
thinking about puzzling situations, considering the
clues, evaluating the evidence, and reaching conclusions
(Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010; Larson, 2008; Temple,
Martinez, & Yokota, 2011). Classroom teachers have
reported that children show enthusiasm for both reading
and writing mystery stories (Ritchie, Rigano, & Duane,
2008; Sharp & Martinez, 2010). In each case, however,
teachers reported introducing children to fictional
mysteries while overlooking the opportunity to also
introduce nonfiction mysteries. Instead, the opportunity
should be seized to extend children’s understanding and
appreciation of nonfiction literature and, at the same
time, build content knowledge.
Nonfiction mysteries, especially those dealing with science,
share the same compelling features as fictional mysteries:
the puzzling situations, the process of seeking and solving,
and the tension between the unknown and the possibility
of knowing. A number of science books even emphasize the
mystery in science, using words such as mystery, mysterious, and sleuthing in their titles. You can see this in
titles like Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man
Journal of Children’s Literature, 39(2), pp. 14-21, 2013.
(Kirkpatrick, 2011), The Case of the Vanishing Golden
Frogs: A Scientific Mystery (Markle, 2012), and The Whale
Scientists: Solving the Mystery of Whale Strandings
(Hodgkins, 2007).
The authors of these nonfiction works show readers how
scientists confront the mysteries of the natural world.
In The Elephant Scientist (O’Connell & Jackson, 2011),
for example, the authors describe how scientist Caitlin
O’Connell and her colleagues have investigated the
mystery of elephant communication,
Nonfiction mysteries, especially
those dealing with science, share the
same compelling features as fictional
mysteries: the puzzling situations, the
process of seeking and solving, and the
tension between the unknown and the
possibility of knowing.
©Children’s Literature Assembly ISSN 1521-7779
Myra Zarnowski Reading for the Mystery
Scientists already knew elephants communicated over
long distances through low-frequency rumbles that
rolled through the air, but was it also possible the
animals were talking—and listening—to one another
with their feet?
If so, the discovery would be a major breakthrough in
decoding some of the mystery [italics added] surrounding elephant communication. (p. 3)
15
science as a mystery, a great puzzle, and when you
approach it as a mystery, you’ve got a story” (as quoted in
Sherman, 2010, p. 4).
The similarities between fiction and nonfiction mysteries
are many, but there are also significant differences. One
difference is that science mysteries are never completely
solved. Even when a question is answered, it raises a
series of new questions. Unlike fictional mysteries, science
mysteries continue to unfold. The satisfaction that readers
get from a science mystery is not in tying up all the loose
Similarly, in Whaling Season: A Year in the Life of an
Arctic Whale Scientist
(Lourie, 2009), the
author describes scientist
The science–mystery connection provides a bridge to a more
Craig George’s continumature understanding of science from a disciplinary perspective.
ing fascination with
bowhead whales: “What
has motivated Craig for decades is his fascination for the
ends. That doesn’t happen. Instead, the satisfaction comes
mystery [italics added] of the whales—all the things that
from participating in the process of solving part of an even
remain unknown about the animal” (p. 11). The Skull in
larger mystery (Hamilton, 2009).
the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened
a New Window on Human Origins (Berger & Aronson,
A second difference is that science mysteries are based
2012) likewise highlights the appeal of mystery. In this
only on fact. Although nonfiction writers can use all the
case, the authors describe scientist Lee Berger’s passionate
narrative techniques of fiction writers, they must tell the
interest in evolution:
truth and not make up evidence in order to tell a better
story (Morris, 2013; Partridge, 2011; Stone, 2011). There
Reading Lucy [an account by a young paleoanthrocan be no distracters, or diverting details, designed to
pologist] gave Lee a vision of his life goal: hunting for
throw the reader off track. As a result, a number of science
the most crucial, and precious, clues to the story of
mysteries end with scientists having answered only some of
humankind….Lee had found what he loved: the most
their many questions.
difficult mystery [italics added] of all. (p. 18)
Although these are important distinctions to keep in mind,
In each of these books and others like them, readers
they do not prevent us from making use of the science–
encounter scientists who are seeking answers to science
mystery connection as a way of motivating readers to read,
mysteries.
understand, and enjoy science books. In this article, I
explore the science–mystery connection. First, I examine
Nonfiction author Sally M. Walker (2002) explains the
how authors draw on the features of mystery to develop
connection between mystery and science in her book Fossil
the reader’s understanding of scientific inquiry. Then, I
Fish Found Alive: Discovering the Coelacanth. In an article suggest how teachers can use the science–mystery connecin Book Links, Walker (2003) writes,
tion to spark children’s interest in reading and help them
build an understanding of science as a way of thinking and
Baffling searches. Intriguing puzzles. Hundreds of
learning. Finally, I provide an annotated bibliography of
questions. And satisfied smiles when we discover the
science mysteries to use in creating a curriculum.
answers. That’s what science is all about. Coelacanths
aren’t likely to win a beauty contest. On the other
How Authors Establish the
hand they have given us a remarkable fish story
Science–Mystery Connection
that combines history, mystery, piracy, science, and
The science–mystery connection provides a bridge to a
adventure. Who could ask for more? (p. 29)
more mature understanding of science from a disciplinary
perspective. Because readers of nonfiction science mysterYears later, Walker generalized this comment to her other
ies are provided with an up-close view of scientists who
science books. In an interview in Book Links, she stated,
are engaged in problem solving, they see how scientists
“First and foremost I want to tell a story. I approach
learn. That is, they get accurate information about how
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
16
A RT ICL E S scientists acquire new knowledge and refine their ideas.
In the process, readers learn both the facts of science and
the processes that scientists use to establish them. Readers
see that both knowing and doing are important aspects of
envisioning science (Langer, 2011). Above all, they learn
that science is tentative and open to change.
clearing up possible misconceptions about the science–
mystery connection. Other books that also show scientific
investigation as a lengthy and continuing process include
The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe
(Burns, 2010) and The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs
(Markle, 2012).
In the section below, I focus on how authors use mystery
features to bridge the reader’s understanding of scientific
inquiry. This process includes (a) comparing and contrasting fiction and nonfiction mysteries; (b) showing scientists
willing to toss out incorrect assumptions the same way
fictional detectives move beyond red herrings, or false
leads; (c) portraying scientists as detectives seeking
answers to questions; and (d) acknowledging that although
some questions have been answered, others still remain.
In each case, nonfiction science mysteries emphasize the
personal quest for meaning as scientists strive to better
understand the natural world.
Showing Scientists Willing to Toss Out Incorrect Assump-
Comparing and Contrasting Fiction and Nonfiction Mysteries
In Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the
Paleoamerican World, Sally M. Walker and Douglas W.
Owsley (2012) explicitly discuss the science–mystery
connection. They state that “in one way, the Kennewick
remains [ancient human remains found in Kennewick,
Washington] are like a mystery novel or a TV crime
show: Someone finds a dead body—usually unexpectedly.
Mysterious circumstances surround the death” (p. 22).
The authors explain how just as in a mystery novel or a
crime show, scientists begin searching for clues to solve
this mystery. The authors are also quick to point out that
there is an important difference: “Scientific investigation…
almost never follows the rules of TV pacing” (p. 22). That
is, there is no quick wrap-up that ties up all the loose ends.
Instead, scientists often face inconclusive results, delays, or
further questions to resolve.
Walker and Owsley (2012) return to this idea later in
the book when they discuss the legal action taken by a
coalition of Native American tribes asking for the return
of the remains of Kennewick Man and an end to their
further scientific study. The legal process, which eventually allowed the scientists to resume their work, took
almost eight years, beginning in 1996 and lasting until
2002. As the authors note, “after Kennewick Man landed
in court, things didn’t move quite as quickly as they do in
a TV courtroom drama, where things wrap up neatly in
a single episode” (p. 53). Scientific investigations require
persistence and determination. To make this distinction clear, Walker and Owsley step outside of the story of
Kennewick Man to take on the role of teacher/explainer,
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
tions
Mystery novels often include red herrings, or distracting details that lead investigators down the wrong path
as they try to solve a mystery (Crow, 2012). Scientific
mysteries do not have these red herrings because nonfiction authors cannot create false, distracting information.
They do, however, show scientists hampered by assumptions that prove to be inaccurate. These assumptions are
similar to red herrings in that they prevent scientists from
understanding the natural world.
In Alien Deep: Revealing the Mysterious Living World at
the Bottom of the Ocean, Bradley Hague (2012) provides
readers with a clear example of how scientists revise
their ideas when presented with convincing evidence.
He explains, “Science doesn’t always follow a clear-cut
path. Sometimes discoveries happen that completely
derail everything we thought we knew” (p. 10). Scientists
studying the life cycle once believed that without the
process of photosynthesis—plants combining sunlight and
air to produce sugar for food—life could not exist. They
would later learn that this was not so.
Discoveries of life deep in the ocean changed the scientists’
minds. Despite conditions such as insufficient light for
photosynthesis, massive pressure, extreme heat, acid
baths, and alkaline springs, scientists found amazing
creatures living quite successfully. Giant clams, huge
mussels, and five-foot-long tubeworms were living next
to hydrothermal vents—cracks in the ocean floor from
which super-heated water escaped, providing life-giving
substances. Because of these findings, scientists revised
their thinking. According to Hague (2012), “With the
discovery of the amazing creatures at the vents, scientists
had to toss out the assumed limits of life. Here were
creatures that could withstand conditions previously
thought impossible” (p. 15). Scientists now believe that
life is possible in a number of different environments.
By showing that scientific understandings are subject to
change, authors like Hague give readers a true picture
of the nature of scientific inquiry. “Scientific revolutions
happen,” he tells us, “when we stop seeing the world we
expect and start seeing the world as it is” (p. 12). Other
books that show scientists rethinking their assumptions
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
Myra Zarnowski Reading for the Mystery
include If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of
Stonehenge (Aronson, 2010) and The Skull in the Rock
(Berger & Aronson, 2012).
17
Expedition to Madagascar (Bishop, 2000) and Diving to a
Deep-Sea Volcano (Mallory, 2006).
Acknowledging Remaining Questions
Portraying Scientists as Detectives Seeking
Answers to Questions
In Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where
We Came From, Catherine Thimmesh (2009) describes
scientists as detectives:
Donald Johanson and a team of scientists were
digging for bones, yes, but primarily they were
detectives on a case. They were trying to solve one
of the greatest mysteries of all time: Where did we
come from? Each hominid fossil discovery was a clue;
its analysis, a tiny piece of the giant jigsaw puzzle of
human evolution. (p. 8)
In 1974, Johanson and his team were working in Hagar,
Ethiopia. When he found the remains of a 3.2 million–
year-old skeleton of a homonid that they later named
Lucy, he was ecstatic because of what the bones might
reveal about the origins of human life. Like detectives in
a mystery novel, Johanson, a paleoanthropologist, and his
team began asking questions and searching for evidence
that would provide answers.
Here’s what the team asked about Lucy: Was she a child or
a grownup? A boy or a girl? A known species or a new one?
Ancient or modern? For each of these questions, readers
learn how the team gathered evidence and then made
inferences based on this evidence to provide answers.
To begin, the team wanted to know whether Lucy was
a child or an adult. To answer this question, the team
carefully examined the skeletal remains, noting that Lucy,
although only three and a half feet tall, had wisdom teeth
showing several years of wear. Knowing that humans with
wisdom teeth are adults, they assumed that Lucy was
almost fully mature. The team also noticed signs of arthritis or another bone ailment, further suggesting that she
was not a child.
To deal with each remaining question, Thimmesh shows
that these scientists—like detectives in mystery novels—
take careful measurements, collect and preserve the
available evidence, collaborate with colleagues to analyze
this evidence, and draw conclusions. Much of this detective
work is about careful reasoning. As one team member
noted, “You go from the known and you work your way to
the unknown” (p. 18). Other books that feature scientists
as detectives include Digging for Bird-Dinosaurs: An
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
In each book discussed in this section—Their Skeletons
Speak, Alien Deep, and Lucy Long Ago—the author(s)
points out that although scientists have answered some
of their questions, other questions remain. Sometimes
this is because the scientists are still trying to answer a
question; other times it is because once a question has been
answered, it raises a host of new questions.
Their Skeletons Speak details a large amount of evidence
that scientists have learned about Kennewick Man. We
know how old he is, his size, and that he was a very strong,
active person. But there are many remaining questions:
How long had he lived by the Kennewick River? Why had
he come there? What caused his death? Earlier in his life,
he sustained an injury when the point of a spear became
lodged in his hip. How and why had this happened? How
are early Paleoamericans such as Kennewick Man related
to today’s Native Americans?
Alien Deep provides intriguing information about life at
the bottom of the ocean. Although we now know that life is
possible in a variety of conditions, many questions remain.
Scientists believe that life began in the ocean. Where?
When? What kind of life? Is there any place too extreme for
some kind of life to exist?
Lucy Long Ago answers many questions about when Lucy
lived and what she was like. Still other questions have not
been answered. Why did she and others like her begin to
stand upright and walk on two legs? Could she talk? Did
she use tools? Did she share emotional bonds with a mate
or child?
The authors of these three books, and others like them,
point out the lingering questions. They show that scientists
and detectives confront mysteries and answer some of
their questions. Yet, many other questions remain because
science is not as neatly structured as a mystery novel.
Bringing Children and Science Books
Together: Reading for the Mystery
Nonfiction science books can be read as mysteries when
they show scientists engaged in inquiry. That is, scientists
are seen facing puzzling situations, gathering evidence and
evaluating it, finding some answers to their questions, and
facing still more unanswered questions. Books like these
are referred to as whole science because they include the
entire process of learning, not just the factual informa-
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
18
A RT ICL E S tion learned (Allchin, 2011). Like mystery novels, science
mysteries are exciting to read because of their unexpected
twists and turns and unexpected findings. Moreover, as an
added bonus, they are true.
When discussing science mysteries with children, we can
begin by raising the following “mystery” questions:
Perplexing problem: What is the mystery that
scientists want to solve?
‡‡
Gathering clues: What evidence have they gathered
to solve the mystery? How?
‡‡
Red herrings: Did the scientists have any false starts?
Did they toss out any assumptions?
‡‡
Answers/solutions: What did they learn?
abstract features of
Explicit discussion
scientific thinking. For
example, once children
of nonfiction science
learn that scientists
mysteries can play a
toss out assumptions
when presented with
major role in bringing
convincing evidence
ideas about the nature
for doing so, they are
ready to discuss the
of science to life.
tentative nature of
science. Once readers
see that scientists gather evidence and make use of it to
solve problems, they are ready to discuss how scientific
understanding is the product of both observation and
inference.
‡‡
Remaining questions: What else do they want to know?
‡‡
Here is an example of how this works: When Elizabeth
Adasse’s fifth-grade students in Flushing, New York,
read Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot
(Montgomery, 2010), they read with a focus on the mystery
facing scientists and citizen-volunteers: Why were kakapo
parrots—the world’s heaviest parrots that had once thrived
in New Zealand—now in danger of extinction? What could
be done about it? As they read, students used a data chart
to record information about the following mystery features:
the problem, the problem solvers, the problem-solving
activities, and what was learned.
As Adasse (2012) describes it, the data chart kept her
students connected to the mystery-solving process:
Various problem solving charts created the feeling that
we were truly accompanying the scientists on their
journey to protect the kakapo….Together, students
would decide on the most important information to
keep track of, as well as which category each fact
belonged in. These group charts were revisited at the
beginning of each successive inquiry session in order
to segue into new learning and make clear connections
for students. (p. 7)
There is an important reason for explicitly raising the
questions listed above. Without explicitly discussing the
nature of science, how science is understood and conducted
in the real world, students do not automatically learn
about it and do not understand it (Akerson & Abd-ElKhalick, 2005; Khishfe & Abd-El-Khalick, 2002; Quigley,
Pongsanon, & Akerson, 2011). The mystery questions, in
effect, serve as stepping-stones to understanding the more
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
These are among the major understandings about the
nature of science that are included in all science standards
documents (e.g., National Research Council, 2012), and
they need to be taught. Explicit discussion of nonfiction
science mysteries can play a major role in bringing ideas
about the nature of science to life. This requires using
books that have been referred to as the literature of inquiry
(Zarnowski & Turkel, 2011).
Sciences Mysteries for Curricular Planning
and Pleasure Reading
The literature of scientific inquiry consists of a growing
number of books that reveal science in action. Whether the
men and women featured are in the field, in the lab, or at a
conference sharing ideas with others, they are passionately
pursuing questions about the natural world. As a resource,
these books are excellent for both curricular planning and
pleasure reading. Table 1 provides an annotated list of
recommended nonfiction titles that can be read as unfolding and continuing science mysteries.
When we bring children and nonfiction science mystery
books together, we have the right material for discussing scientific inquiry because the problem, the evidence,
the analysis, and the solutions (although partial) are all
authentic. Science mysteries not only introduce readers to
new and fascinating content but also reveal the value and
relevance of scientific investigation for confronting current
questions and problems. That is a powerful contribution. �
Myra Zarnowski is a professor in the Department of Elementary and Early
Childhood Education at Queens College in Flushing, New York, where she
teaches courses in children’s literature and social studies. She is particularly
interested in the use of nonfiction literature in elementary classrooms to build
knowledge and stimulate inquiry. email: [email protected]
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
Myra Zarnowski Reading for the Mystery
19
TABLE 1
Samples of science mysteries: The literature of scientific inquiry
Book
Annotation
Deem, J.M. (2012). Faces from
the past: Forgotten people of
North America. Boston, MA:
Houghton Mifflin.
In this intriguing book, the author explains how scientists and forensic artists work
together to bring back the stories of people from as far back as 10,000 years ago. Who
were these people? What did they look like? What happened during the course of their
lives? Forensic artists have reconstructed their actual faces from historic remains found
in North America, while historians have researched and often discovered the specific
contexts in which they lived. Ten recovered stories are told, including Spirit Cave Man; a
stranded sailor sailing under the command of La Salle; a Buffalo soldier named Thomas
Smith; and Pearl, a slave from upstate New York who lived during the 18th century.
Burns, L.G. (2010). The hive
detectives: Chronicle of a honey
bee catastrophe. (E. Harasimowicz, Photog.). New York, NY:
Houghton Mifflin.
In 2006, when beekeeper Dave Hackenberg examined his hives, he found that 20
million of his bees had vanished. What had happened? He called on beekeepers and
bee scientists to help solve the mystery. This book follows the simultaneous investigations of the hive detectives, scientists from across the country who began investigating.
Readers are given a close-up view of how four scientists, each with different research
specialties, follow the clues. As their research continues, scientists have not discovered
a single cause; instead, they believe it is a combination of factors. As scientist Jeff Pettis
said, “There are a lot of different parts to the puzzle…and we need to take a look at
how these pieces come together to cause our bee problems” (p. 47).
Hague, B. (2012). Alien deep:
Revealing the mysterious living
world at the bottom of the
ocean. Washington, DC:
National Geographic.
Scientists pursuing the mysteries of life on the ocean floor have found evidence of
amazing creatures living where life was once thought impossible. As a result, like
detectives dismissing red herrings, or false leads, scientists have tossed aside previously
held assumptions about the conditions needed for life. Large, full-color photographs of
both scientists at work and the life they found on the ocean floor bring readers close
to this unfolding story. Despite these surprising discoveries, the mystery continues as
scientists raise even more questions about life on the bottom of the ocean.
Jurmain, S. (2009). The secret
of the yellow death: A true story
of medical sleuthing. New York,
NY: Houghton Mifflin.
After the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States gained the right to govern
Cuba. Once on the island, Americans confronted frequent outbreaks of yellow fever.
There was an urgent need to figure out what caused this dreaded disease and find a
cure. Dr. Walter Reed and a team of doctors dealt with competing hypotheses. They
believed there were three possible causes of yellow fever: (a) a type of bacteria called
Bacillus icteroides, (b) the effect of touching clothing, bedding, or furniture used by
yellow fever patients, or (c) mosquito bites. The team of doctors worked systematically
to rule out the first two hypotheses and then proved that mosquitoes were transmitting the disease. This was a remarkable case of scientific sleuthing, careful data collection, and close observation. Yet, even after the cause of yellow fever was discovered,
many questions remained: Could a cure be developed? What germ transmitted the
disease? Why had some volunteers who had been bitten by infected mosquitoes not
gotten the disease? An epilogue answers some of these questions and then poses still
more for us to ponder. This is a page-turner of a mystery, with continuing relevance for
all of us.
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
20
A RT ICL E S TABLE 1 CONTINUED
Samples of science mysteries: The literature of scientific inquiry
Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Mysterious bones: The story of
Kennewick Man. (E. Stevenson,
Illus.). New York, NY: Holiday
House.
In 1996, two college students found a skull and other skeletal remains along the banks
of the Columbia River in Washington State. Forensic scientists determined that these
remains were approximately 9,500 years old. Research on the skeleton, referred to as
Kennewick Man, was then abruptly halted for nine years as ownership of the remains
was contested in court. The issue was whether the government was acting correctly
when it gave Native Americans the right to take the remains for immediate burial.
Instead, should scientists have the right to study them? Ultimately, the court decided to
grant the scientists the right to study Kennewick Man, concluding that the remains were
not Native American as defined by the law. Yet, even now, the mysteries surrounding
Kennewick Man remain. What is his genetic makeup? So far, there has been no successful DNA testing of Kennewick Man. What tools did he use? What ethnic population did
he belong to? As the author tells us, “A number of intriguing scenarios can be created.
Yet not all archaeological puzzles can be solved, or mysteries explained” (p. 41).
Lasky, K. (2011). Silk and
venom: Searching for a dangerous spider. (C.G. Knight,
Photog.). Somerville, MA:
Candlewick.
Greta Binford, an arachnologist and professor of biology, investigates the mysteries of a
particular species of spider, Loxosceles reclusa, also known as the brown recluse. Analysis
of this spider’s venom may yield benefits to medical science, especially in the treatment
of stroke victims. However, the big question that Binford is trying to answer is how
Loxosceles reclusa made it to the North American continent millions of years ago and
how North American, South American, and Caribbean spiders are related. Readers
follow Binford as she travels to the Dominican Republic, where she finds several brown
recluses where none had been identified before. She is well on her way to answering
some of the mysteries surrounding this arachnid. The discovery was an unforgettable
moment. As the author tells us, “Greta Binford is simply delirious with the joy of discovery” (p. 54). Part of a mystery has been solved.
Markle, S. (2012). The case of
the vanishing golden frogs: A
scientific mystery. Minneapolis,
MN: Millbrook.
When scientist Karen Lips returns to the Fortuna Forest Reserve in Panama after a
four-year absence, she discovers that the Panamanian golden frog population, once
healthy and thriving, is dying out. Figuring out why the frogs are vanishing is at the
center of this science mystery that begins as the concern of a few scientists and eventually becomes an international cause. Readers learn how careful observation and creative
thinking are necessary aspects of a scientific investigation.
Walker, S.M. (2002). Fossil
fish found alive: Discovering the
coelacanth. Minneapolis, MN:
Carolrhoda.
In 1938, museum director Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer came face to face with a fish
that scientists thought had been extinct for 70 million years. Once this fish was identified as a living coelacanth, scientists began searching for more specimens so they could
learn more about them. This book follows the efforts of scientists, fishermen, and
governments to seek out, learn about, and protect the coelacanth. Some of the mysteries of the fish have been solved. Scientists now know where coelacanths can be found,
how they hunt for food, and how females give birth to young pups. Other mysteries remain: What causes the coelacanth to do headstands when observers approach?
Does a mysterious head joint in its skull help the fish suck in food? Are there several
species of coelacanths? One thing is certain: The coelacanth is no longer a fossil fish.
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
Myra Zarnowski Reading for the Mystery
21
References
Adasse, E. (2012). A nonfiction inquiry journey. Unpublished
manuscript. Department of Elementary and Early Childhood
Education, Queens College, Flushing, NY.
Akerson, V.L., & Abd-El-Khalick, F.S. (2005). “How should I know
what scientists do?—I am just a kid”: Fourth-grade students’
conceptions of nature of science. Journal of Elementary Science
Education, 17(1), 1–11.
Allchin, D. (2011). Evaluating knowledge of the nature of (whole)
science. Science Education, 95(3), 518–542.
Crow, T. (2012). Don’t be fooled by the red herring—look for more
evidence to solve the mystery. Journal of Staff Development, 33(4), 4.
Galda, L., Cullinan, B.E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the child
(7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Hamilton, J. (2009). What makes a good science book? Horn Book
Magazine, 85(3), 269–275.
Khishfe, R., & Abd-El-Khalick, F. (2002). Influence of explicit and
reflective versus implicit inquiry-oriented instruction on sixth
graders’ views of nature of science. Journal of Research in Science
Teaching, 39(7), 551–578.
Langer, J.A. (2011). Envisioning knowledge: Building literacy in the
academic disciplines. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Larson, J. (2008). The scene of the crime: Investigating new mysteries.
Book Links, 17(3), 24–28.
Morris, R.J. (2013). Linking learning and literary nonfiction. School
Library Monthly, 29(7), 39–40.
Children’s Literature Cited
Aronson, M. (2010). If stones could speak: Unlocking the secrets of
Stonehenge. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
Berger, L.R., & Aronson, M. (2012). The skull in the rock: How a
scientist, a boy, and Google Earth opened a new window on
human origins. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
Bishop, N. (2000). Digging for bird-dinosaurs: An expedition to
Madagascar. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Burns, L.G. (2010). The hive detectives: Chronicle of a honey bee
catastrophe. (E. Harasimowicz, Photog.). New York, NY:
Houghton Mifflin.
Deem, J.M. (2012). Faces from the past: Forgotten people of North
America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Hague, B. (2012). Alien deep: Revealing the mysterious living
world at the bottom of the ocean. Washington, DC: National
Geographic.
Hodgkins, F. (2007). The whale scientists: Solving the mystery of
whale strandings. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Jurmain, S. (2009). The secret of the yellow death: A true story of
medical sleuthing. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K–12 science
education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Partridge, E. (2011). Narrative nonfiction: Kicking ass at last. Horn
Book Magazine, 87(2), 69–73.
Quigley, C., Pongsanon, K., & Akerson, V.L. (2011). If we teach them,
they can learn: Young students’ views of nature of science during
an informal science education program. Journal of Science Teacher
Education, 22(2), 129–149.
Ritchie, S.M., Rigano, D.L., & Duane, A. (2008). Writing an
ecological mystery in class: Merging genres and learning science.
International Journal of Science Education, 30(2), 143–166.
Sharp, C., & Martinez, M. (2010). Exploring mystery in fifth grade: A
journey of discovery. Voices From the Middle, 17(4), 19–28.
Sherman, C.A. (2010). Talking with Sally M. Walker. Book Links,
19(4), 4–5.
Stone, T.L. (2011). A fine, fine lie: Truth in nonfiction. Horn Book
Magazine, 87(2), 84–87.
Temple, C., Martinez, M., & Yokota, J. (2011). Children’s books in
children’s hands: An introduction to their literature (4th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson.
Walker, S.M. (2003). The ultimate fish story. Book Links, 13(2), 28–29.
Zarnowski, M., & Turkel, S. (2011). Nonfiction literature that
highlights inquiry: How real people solve real problems. Journal of
Children’s Literature, 37(1), 30–37.
Lasky, K. (2011). Silk and venom: Searching for a dangerous spider.
(C.G. Knight, Photog.). Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Lourie, P. (2009). Whaling season: A year in the life of an Arctic
whale scientist. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Mallory, K. (2006). Diving to a deep-sea volcano. New York, NY:
Houghton Mifflin.
Markle, S. (2012). The case of the vanishing golden frogs: A scientific
mystery. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook.
Montgomery, S. (2010). Kakapo rescue: Saving the world’s strangest
parrot. (N. Bishop, Photog.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
O’Connell, C., & Jackson, D.M. (2011). The elephant scientist. (C.
O’Connell & T. Rodwell, Photogs.). New York, NY: Houghton
Mifflin.
Thimmesh, C. (2009). Lucy long ago: Uncovering the mystery of
where we came from. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Walker, S.M. (2002). Fossil fish found alive: Discovering the
coelacanth. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda.
Walker, S.M., & Owsley, D.W. (2012). Their skeletons speak:
Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican world. Minneapolis,
MN: Carolrhoda.
Kirkpatrick, K. (2011). Mysterious bones: The story of Kennewick
Man. (E. Stevenson, Illus.). New York, NY: Holiday House.
VOL 39 NO 2 FALL 2013
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE