In the sixth installment in the popular non-fiction, mystery series for readers 10 years and older, award-winning children’s author Mark Greenwood explores the phenomenon of life-like skulls carved from crystal quartz which began appearing in the second half of the nineteenth century. Like previous titles in the series, ‘The Crystal Skulls’ presents established evidence, myth, and historical context in short, engaging chapters which equip the reader to make their own decision about what really happened.
‘Could the crystal skulls store and process information, or are they modern fakes? If they aren’t ancient, how did they end up in the world’s most prestigious museums? Where did they come from?’
Framed by a narrative retelling of the discovery of the first skull by seventeen year-old Anna Mitchell-Hedges (who claims to have found the skull in a cave in Lubaaantum while on an expedition with her father searching for the lost city of Atlantis) The Crystal Skulls then unpacks stories associated with other crystal skulls, museum responses to these artifacts, the ongoing mystery of how the skills were crafted, an overview of skull art throughout history, and beliefs associated with quartz.
At less than 100 pages (and supported by excellent page design with plenty of white space) The Crystal Skulls is a highly accessible read for both history and mystery lovers that masterfully balances historical rigour with concise descriptions. In short, Greenwood avoids both speaking down to his audience and waffling on – each chapter’s topic is carefully chosen and to the point. And for readers wishing to explore the subject further, backmatter includes a timeline and extended resource list with suggested books, websites, documentaries and podcasts.
