The D.N.A. Detectives #1: To Catch A Thief - Dr. Mandy Hartley

Winner of the ASE (Association for Science Education) Book Award! (https://www.ase.org.uk/news/interview-dna-detectives-author-amanda-hartley).

This is the first book in The DNA Detectives series written by Dr. Mandy Hartley. (Signed by author local to Old School Bookshop)

They are the first ever children's fiction books where the children in the story use DNA and forensic science to solve a crime. The books have been written so children are learning about DNA as well as enjoying an exciting adventure.

In this first book in the series "The DNA Detectives - To Catch A Thief", Annabelle and Harry's pet dog Milly goes missing. The children sadly accept that the local pet thief has struck again. They have a list of suspects and evidence left behind by the thief. But how can they find out who it is and get Milly back? The children's mum is a scientist working with DNA and she has a laboratory in the garden. The children realise they can use DNA and their mum's laboratory to solve the crime.

Annabelle and Harry soon become DNA Detectives and just like real life forensic scientists go on an exciting adventure and to try and solve the case. Join them on their thrilling journey to collect clues, learn about DNA and see if they can find out the identity of the pet thief and bring their beloved Milly safely back home.

This book is supported by a series of web links created with the Sanger Institute in Cambridge which children can use to find out more about DNA, cells and forensic science. There are also exciting activities for them to try out at home as well as online including making DNA out of sweets and extracting DNA in their own interactive laboratory.

This book has been granted a green tick from the ASE. It was reviewed by their education experts who evaluated it to see if they thought it was suitable for use in schools. We are delighted to tell you it met all the ASE criteria for quality and was awarded "the ASE Green Tick".

You can read the full review and find out how they felt it could be used to help with teaching science and literacy for KS1 and KS2 and in secondary schools by clicking on the following link. https://www.ase.org.uk/bookshop/reviews/the-dna-detectives/

Taken from the review; “The DNA Detectives series of books are fictional stories with a non-fiction science element. They are suitable for both primary and lower secondary pupils and have links with both the English and science curricula. All the resources, such as weblinks, activities and printable resources are easily available for teachers to access. Both books are easy to read, with short chapters. They can be read independently by pupils, or chosen as a class text. There are cross-curricular links with science, English, history and geography, making these books a good resource for teachers to use across a topic. The author has shown the importance of DNA in our everyday lives. To conclude, the DNA Detectives series comprises exciting stories that can truly inspire children to have a love of science!”