Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2022 Gr 5 Up—This entertaining and informative look at the history of human evolution follows our hominid predecessors throughout history. Chapters detail major milestones in evolution, including how our ancestors learned to walk, use fire, and talk to one another. The tone is factual and conversational, and humorous footnotes will keep middle grade readers engaged. Turner does more than simply state the facts, speaking to the historical significance of each. The ability to convey detailed and well-researched information in a riveting narrative style is the greatest strength of this title. Color photos and sepia-toned illustrations add context and will engage visual learners. The extensive back matter includes notes, glossary, further reading, a time line, and bibliography. The author's note addresses the exclusion of a discussion of race in the main text. The final chapter concludes with a reminder that together we can problem solve to make a difference, just as we have done throughout history—a message that will resonate with many younger readers. VERDICT This well-researched account of human evolution is a first purchase for library collections.—Katharine Gatcomb - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/15/2022 *Starred Review* This fascinating, inviting, and engagingly written volume is ideal for report-writing tweens and teens and those interested in biology and history. It will also find a happy audience in parents who are stuck on younger children’s questions about how ancient sea creatures abandoned the ocean and became . . . us. Chapters discuss the major steps in development that made modern humans, illuminating how and why each happened—how we learned to walk upright, use fire, talk, tell stories, and more. Every page includes some tidbit that will be new to nonexpert readers, such as why evolution caused people on the Indonesian island of Flores to be small but Flores lizards to be extra large; what color a polar bear–grizzly bear hybrid is; how walking upright helps keep us cool; what percentage of humans have no Neanderthal genes (spoiler: it’s zero!). Given that the peoples chronicled here left no written records, Turner gives a remarkable amount of information on them, making clear when scientists have hard facts and where they employ a certain degree of speculation. Throughout, Gurche’s sepia-toned likenesses of other Hominids and color photos of ancient artifacts enliven the already lively text. Extensive back matter—in-depth notes, bibliography, and index—add to the value. A must for science shelves. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.