Book Ideas

Has Digging Up Dessa sparked your interest in Mary Anning, paleontology, fossil hunting, and women in science? The Novel Neighbor, an independent bookstore in Webster Groves, MO, recommends these books for you and your family to explore. Happy reading!

Mary Anning's Curiosity
The amazing story of how the world’s greatest fossilist found her first huge find at the age of twelve.

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Paleontologists
Discover the stories of Mary Anning, Mignon Talbot, Tilly Edinger, Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, and Mary Leakey, five female paleontologists who thrived while making breakthrough discoveries of ancient life from millions of years ago! In this terrific book, readers ages 8 to 11 do fun hands-on projects while learning about these women and the fascinating lives they led in the field and in the lab.

Science Comics: Dinosaurs - Fossils and Feathers
In this nonfiction graphic novel for middle grade readers, learn all about the history of paleontology! This fascinating look at dinosaur science covers the last 150 years of dinosaur hunting and illuminates how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed—and continue to change.

Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, and Shell Hunting
This interactive field guide to rocks, fossils, and shells, is an indispensable tool for young explorers and rock collectors.

Finding Wonders
This evocative and beautiful novel vividly imagines the lives of three girls in three different time periods—Maria Merian, Mary Anning, and Maria Mitchell—as they grow up to become groundbreaking scientists. Told in vibrant, evocative poems, this stunning novel celebrates the joy of discovery and finding wonder in the world around us.

Rae Davis and Lizi Watt in Digging Up Dessa