Who are the 12 Young Discoverers in the Book?

1. Conrad Reed Strikes Gold

Little Meadow Creek in North Carolina, United States of America, 1799

I had to include this story – the twelve-year-old boy who sparked a gold rush – but it’s an uncomfortable one because the effects of gold mining were (are) so destructive. Many American Indians were forced to leave their homes and the environment was badly damaged by miners. Streams were blocked. Trees were cut down. Farmland was ruined.

2. Mary Anning Unearths a Sea Monster

Lyme Regis, England, 1811

Primary teachers in the UK might feel a bit anning-ed out already, but again, I couldn’t not include this one. What I love about Mary’s icthyosaur find is that it wasn’t a chance happening. Joseph had already found the head, and Mary was determined to find the rest of the ‘monster’. For eleven long months, she scoured the beach, trudging through wind and rain, digging through shale and shingle, probing and prodding until her eyes ached and her fingers bled. It’s a story of perseverence that FINALLY paid off!

3. Jacob Eliahu Finds the Siloam Inscription

Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire, 1880

I was told about this story by the wonderful children’s book editor Tom Rawlinson. Jacob’s exploration of Hezekiah’s tunnel is like something out of a Boy’s Own annual – two young friends venturing into a dark tunnel and finding something extraordinary.

4. Hussein Abdel-Rassoul Uncovers a Pharaoh’s Tomb

Qurna, Egypt, 1922

This one is controversial – there are plenty of people who dispute the story of the ‘water boy’ who discovered the first step of Tutankhamun’s tomb. But in the end I found Zahi Hawass’s interviews with Hussein compelling.

5. Roy Spencer Discovers the World’s Biggest Star Sapphire

Queensland, Australia, 1937

On a scorching summer’s day in Queensland, an eleven-year-old boy was scrabbling in a dry, rocky riverbed. All of a sudden, he leapt up and ran to the desert oak tree where his family were having a picnic. ‘Look, Dad, I’ve found something!’ So begins the incredible true story of a sapphire that journeyed half way across the world and ended up being worn by some of the biggest names in showbusiness.

6. Marcel Ravidat Finds Prehistoric Cave Paintings

Montignac, France, 1940

From the moment I first read the French graphic novel Le Secret des Bois de Lascaux by Thierry Félix and Philippe Bigotto, I knew this story would be an important part of my book. It starts with four teenage boys eager to find treasure, but the treasure they find is not at all what they were expecting.

7. Muhammad Ahmed Al-Hamed Discovers Hidden Manuscripts from Ancient Times

Qumran, Jordan, 1947

A young Bedouin shepherd looking for a lost goat…a stone thrown into a cave…the crack of breaking pottery. That’s the bit of the Dead Sea Scrolls story that most people know, but what follows it is even more jaw-dropping. My favourite bit is where the monks and scholars assemble and unroll the Isaiah scroll by the light of a kerosene lamp, to see whether it corresponds with the version in their own Bibles.

8. Matthew Berger Stumbles Upon a Not-Quite-Human Skeleton

Malapa, South Africa, 2008

Some of the most electrifying stories of discovery are those from the modern era, where the child discoverer is still living. Obviously, this helped my research, too! Matthew Berger was ever so gracious and helpful throughout the process, consenting to answer (a lot of) questions, and providing great photographic references for Violaine Leroy’s illustrations.

9. Daisy Morris Spots a Prehistoric Pterosaur

Isle of Wight, England, 2008

The youngest of all the discoverers was Daisy Morris, who found a pterosaur hipbone when she was just four years old. Daisy and her parents collaborated fully with the writing of the book and hosted the book launch at their local primary school.

10. Kathryn Gray Spies a Supernova

Birdton, Canada, 2011

Kathryn found a new supernova when she was just ten years old, by examining photographs of the night sky on her dad’s computer. Her thrilling discovery led to her meeting Neil Armstrong and addressing a conference hall packed with astronomers!

11. Zhenya Salinder Sniffs Out a Woolly Mammoth

Siberia, Russia, 2012

This was by far the hardest story to research, because the location is unbelievably remote. I was beside myself with excitement when I finally managed to contact somebody who knew Zhenya and his family. Huge thanks to Evgeny Gusev for telling me the story in detail and for providing photographic references.

12. Saga Vanecek Pulls a Sword from a Lake

Lake Vidöstern, Sweden, 2018

I wasn’t able to speak to Saga, in spite of lots of attempts to get in touch. But I’m confident that the story is accurate, because she wrote a wonderful first-person article for the Guardian about her staggering discovery.