The Dragon in the Cliff: A Novel Based on the Life of Mary Anning

In this historical fiction novel , Mary Anning explains how her career of finding fossils changed her life. Unfortunately due to the prejudices of her culture, many of the changes were negative. It was considered inappropriate for a young lady to comb the beaches for "curiosities" as the fossils were called. And despite her amazing discovery of and study of the first complete fossil of an ichthyosaur, she was not recognized by the geological societies of her time simply because she was an uneducated woman of the lower classes. What an eye-opener to the sexism that was prevalent just 200 years ago! For modern readers, it's incomprehensible that Mary was treated so cruelly by her peers and so unfairly by the scientific community. My sensitive ten year old was very upset by Mary's unjust treatment, but I think it's important for our daughters to realize how far women's rights have come. This book does not gloss over the overtly Christian bent of society at the time. The conflict between a (Biblical) literal creation account and the conclusions drawn after the discoveries of dinosaur fossils is handled fairly well. It is not a major theme of the book, but is included. Based on the preface, it seems that the author herself falls on the evolution side of things. But the two sides are portrayed reasonably impartially in the novel. It is not a Christian book, but the case for evolution is not firmly made either. Instead, it offers different viewpoints and leaves the conclusions for you to decide.