What happens when a fossil discovery changes what we think we know about human history? In Reading the Bones, Sibert Medal–winning author Marc Aronson and sixth-grade teacher Alan Mead take middle grade readers deep underground—and directly into the fascinating, sometimes messy process of scientific discovery.
Author: Marc Aronson and John S. Mead
Genre: narrative nonfiction, science
Setting: September 2013-2015; Rising Star Cave System, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa
Topics & Themes: anthropology, human evolution, fossils, fossil excavation, human species, research methodology, scientific debate, Africa, curiosity, discovery, cavern systems, women in STEM, Black scientists, collaboration
Protagonist: male anthropologist with a diverse team of researchers
Recommended for: Grades 5-9
Starred reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly
Publication date: August 4, 2026
The story begins in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, a region famous for fossils of our ancient human relatives. In 2013, cavers exploring the Rising Star cave system discovered a chamber containing an extraordinary collection of bones. Reaching them, however, was another matter. The route was so narrow and treacherous that paleoanthropologist Lee Berger needed researchers with both scientific expertise and the ability to squeeze through extremely tight spaces.
Enter the “Underground Astronauts”: six female scientists who descended into the cave and ultimately excavated more than 1,200 fossils. The remains belonged to more than 15 individuals representing a previously unknown hominin species, eventually named Homo naledi.
That adventure alone would make for compelling nonfiction, but Reading the Bones goes much further. Aronson and Mead use the discovery as a springboard for exploring human evolution, introducing readers to numerous extinct human relatives and explaining how new evidence can overturn—or complicate—long-held scientific ideas.
The book also offers an unusually candid look at science itself. Berger’s methods have sometimes been controversial, particularly his willingness to announce findings before traditional peer review. Rather than ignoring those disagreements, the authors introduce readers to competing viewpoints and unanswered questions. Science here isn’t presented as a collection of settled facts but as an ongoing process of evidence, debate, revision, and discovery.
Equally notable is the diversity of the scientists involved. The Rising Star project brought women, Black South African researchers, students, and early-career scientists into a field historically dominated by white foreign men. Technology also allowed Mead’s own sixth graders to follow discoveries as they unfolded.
With dramatic cave exploration, accessible explanations, illustrations, sidebars, extensive resources, and plenty of scientific mysteries still waiting to be solved, Reading the Bones is an excellent addition to middle school nonfiction collections—especially for readers fascinated by archaeology, human evolution, prehistoric life, and real-world exploration.
