Green Tick Evaluation: The DNA Detectives: The Riddle of the Viking Treasure by Amanda Hartley

ISBN not yet designated.

Website: https://www.thelittlestorytellingcompany.co.uk/

Introduction

Former scientist turned author, Mandy Hartley, is passionate about teaching children about DNA. She has a PhD in genetics and worked with DNA for over 15 years. Her DNA work has helped to  conserve stocks of fish, detect inherited diseases and solve forensic cases. She has traced long-lost family members using relationship testing and helped patients with genetic diseases. She also helped to set up the forensic laboratories used by the Norfolk Constabulary, which adds authenticity to her writing.

Mandy’s fourth book, The Riddle of the Viking Treasure, is the latest episode in the DNA Detectives stories for children. Once again, Annabel and Harry, the child detectives, find themselves at the centre of another mystery. This time, Harry discovers a Viking sword in a holdall, partly buried on a riverbank during a family canoeing trip. It transpires that the sword formed part of a collection of Viking artefacts discovered locally in the remains of a longboat some years previously. We learn that the artefacts from the burial site had been displayed in a local museum prior to their theft a few weeks earlier. The riddle explores why the sword had been stolen and then hidden, what has become of the other stolen artefacts and why they were stolen in the first instance.

The children undertake a series of adventures to piece together and add to the evidence already collected. They use deductive reasoning to determine steps needed to solve the riddle. At all stages whilst reading the book, one is drawn into the story, and the desire to find out what really happened propels one through each chapter with increasing anticipation and curiosity.

The story is set in the summer of 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and readers are transported back in time to social distancing, one-way systems in shops, face masks and ‘track and trace’. Children (and adults) reading the story will be reminded of such aspects of the pandemic, most likely with mixed emotions. What was surprising is how quickly some details of the pandemic have faded into background memories…

The book is suitable for pupils aged 7-13 years and has elements of an adventure story and a crime novel. Forensic science, including DNA analysis, figures highly throughout the book and readers are led through a series of forensic discoveries, deductions, hypotheses and conclusions, culminating in the children solving the riddle. Also of importance, reasons surrounding why the crime was committed are explored and how the criminal justice system may take extenuating circumstances into account when passing judgement. Without wishing to give too much away, these circumstances make the final chapter very moving.

How the book supports the curriculum

There are obvious links to Plants topics within the science curriculum through sections that describe flowers, wind and insect pollination and the role of light and chlorophyll in photosynthesis. This enriches and extends learning identified in the English National Curriculum and introduces science traditionally covered at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14). Importantly, is it done in an engaging but accurate way. Similarly, learning within the Rocks topic can be enriched with descriptions of chalk and microfossils, and how chalk formed in warm shallow seas.

There are good links too to the history curriculum, through descriptions of Viking raids into Anglo-Saxon territory, and wider-scale invasions and how this led to Danelaw. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is mentioned as one of the sources of knowledge about this period, making a nice link to how evidence is used to determine events in history. Viking beliefs and folklore about Valhalla and death are neatly woven into the story and provide additional interest for children. Many secondary-age readers will have seen the Marvel Universe Thor films and will likely enjoy finding out more about real Vikings. This section also nicely identifies influences that the Vikings had on our language and place names.

The book supports children’s reading skills by presenting a wide range of vocabulary, including some that may be challenging for some readers. However, most children will be capable of decoding words, especially as some of the more difficult have phonetic pronunciations provided. Although some vocabulary is very subject-specific, most specialist vocabulary is explained in ways that children will understand. For example, many of us will be unaware of the role of a forensic palynologist. However, once this is explained as someone who studies pollen, spores, or other small particles, their role in forensic science becomes very evident. The book also supports guided reading and discussion of actions and events. For example, it would work well as a basis for ethical discussions about some of the actions taken by the children. Although well-meaning, some of their actions may be considered questionable. For secondary-age students, issues surrounding reliability of evidence and contamination of forensic samples may also be explored using examples from the book.

Diversity and inclusion

Another strength of the book is its contribution to diversity, as many key characters are female professionals: Detective Hartley; Dr Chen, the forensic biologist; Mandy, the children’s mother; Nicky, the museum curator; and Yung, the forensic scientist. Describing their roles and the importance of their work also builds ‘science capital’.

Other books in the series are ably supported by online educational materials and it is anticipated that these will be developed for this book. Mandy also offers forensic science workshops for schools, in which children extract DNA from a banana, make a ‘DNA’ helix from sweets and adopt the role of a forensic scientist to solve a little mystery. The Little Story Telling Company website provides information about workshops and other support available.

Conclusion

The DNA Detectives series of books may be fictional stories, but their strong scientific context make them highly suitable for supporting children’s learning in science. The Riddle of the Viking Treasure would be a good addition to a school library for children to read independently, is useful for supported reading in small groups and as a story in class. It is a highly engaging read and, in common with adult detective stories, clues are unveiled a little at a time, the full story reaching its conclusion only in the final chapter.