Reading the Bones by Gina McMurchy Barber

This is the story of 12-year-old Peggy Henderson who is staying with her aunt and uncle for the summer while her mother looks for work. While digging in the garden one day, she finds the skull of an East Coast Salish native person. It turns out that her garden is an old native burial ground. She has a very interesting summer learning from an archaeologist how old bones can tell the story of a person’s life. Along the way, she has some adventures of her own and faces a serious moral conflict. A special feature of this book is that two stories are told--Peggy's story, which is the main focus of the book, and Shuksi'em, the dead native that is discovered in her yard. This is an interesting read for older children and young teens, whether they are into archeology or not.