Due to the historical background of the book, "Bone Sharps" was used in schools, as part of a study testing the effects of using comic books to educate young children. Author and professor Karen Gavigan recommended the book and Ottaviani's other work as a way to make the lives of famous scientists more accessible and offering chances for critical thinking. Ottaviani followed "Bone Sharps" with other lightly-fictionalized historical stories, including "Levitation: Physics and Psychology in the Service of Deception" and "Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of Love".