School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9Nothing could be less "dead" than these famous documents, and Cooper's book honors their vitality. Each chapter, while tracing the history and significance of the scrolls, manages to end on a note of suspense. The book proceeds chronologically from their discovery in 1947 to the present (developments have not ceased) with occasional excursions back into the distant past to bring the makers (or keepers) of the scrolls to life. The author's account is fair to all sidesnot an easy taskand captures a sense of the excitement felt by scholars and archaeologists. Eight full-page, black-and-white drawings also alternate between the remote and recent past. Human touches (e.g., the mortgage that funded the purchase of the first scrolls in Israel) and vivid descriptions (e.g., of the painstaking job of reconstruction) keep interest high. The book's value is enhanced by a carefully annotated bibliography, including both adult and youth-oriented sources and a web site. History, archaeology, politics, religion, and human interestsurely this book will catch readers with one of these fascinating lures.Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Fiction: NF Age: 4-6 In a clear, accessible text, Cooper relates the dramatic story of a Bedouin shepherd's chance discovery, the struggle by scientists and scholars to purchase the scrolls, the painstaking methods used to piece together the thousands of scroll fragments, and the current technology being used to analyze the documents. Photorealistic illustrations accompany this careful unearthing of an important episode in the field of archaeology. Bib., glos., ind. Horn Rating: Superior, well above average. Reviewed by: jmb (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's hard to know which is more amazing--that the artifacts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls survived for 2,000 years, or that their reported discovery, reassembly, and translation were accomplished despite the hurdles created by war-torn countries and the uncooperative acts of competing scientists. Cooper (Buddy Love, 1995, etc.) establishes both a timeline and a relative order to the chaotic events surrounding the story of the scrolls' discovery. As the story goes, they were found hidden in a cave by two Bedouin shepherd boys. Their tribe sold the scrolls to several different dealers, and also swept up scraps of the crumbling scrolls from the cave floors: This made the work of the scholars who studied the scrolls extremely tedious and frustrating. Some of the scholars became overzealous and refused to allow others access to the parts they were working on. The finding of the scrolls took place in 1947, but it wasn't until the 1990s that many of the texts became available publicly. Cooper unravels this tangled knot of information, jumping between ancient and more recent historical references, letting readers know when there are conflicting facts, and providing back matter that further reveals the complications of this archaeological enigma. (b&w illustrations, chronology, glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
Booklist Review
(It is Booklist policy that a book written by a staff member be given a brief descriptive announcement rather than a full review.) Gr. 5^-8. In a departure from her many middle-grade novels and in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Cooper not only discusses how the scrolls were found, the political and religious issues surrounding them and efforts to acquire and translate them, but she also shows why the scrolls are considered the greatest archaeological find of the twentieth century. --Sally Estes
