This book was a nice introduction to archaeology techniques and the ancestral Puebloans. Great pictures too. I also like that they had the kids' ideas of what they were thinking and learning. Some enjoyed it some didn't. It was honest. This book is more for older elementary to middle school students. The Age level listed on the jacket was 8-12. The students who participated in the activities in the book were 8th graders, so that would be a good age level for maybe slightly struggling readers. Younger, more advanced readers would probably enjoy it as well. I'd use it in class for discussing world history. Asking and answering questions like "how do we know what people from so long ago were like?" of societies like in Mesopotamia, for example. ( )

This book focuses on a group of 8th graders from Missouri who are visiting the Mesa Verde area of Colorado and learning about archaeology, Native Americans, and the history of the southwest. The narrative is framed via photographs of plants, buildings, pottery shards, and of the students. In addition the text is comprised of both historical fact and conversations with the students. One particularly interesting feature was the explanation of why the students must not remove items from where they found them. Not only would certain actions be disrespectful to Native American cultures, but it would also hinder archaeological research as multiple villages could have been build 100 feet from each other, and moving the artifact could make it harder to interpret the find. Throughout the book there are photos and text showing students how they would have lived as Pueblo in order to make a human connection between the ruins of the civilization, and the people who were the civilization. Helping the students make a personal connection to the history of the Pueblo is a main theme in the book, and reading about and seeing that connection could allow readers to begin to understand history that way as well. This book could easily be used in a classroom in grades 4-7 to put a face on American history rather that just stories. The use of photography allows students to know what the area looks like rather than what they create in their imagination. In addition it could be used in diversity units to help to provide a fuller picture of the Pueblo peoples. ( )