I picked up this copy from The Book Thing of Baltimore, Inc. located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The Book Thing is a warehouse of free books that has become a local fixture in the community. The premise is simple. You take as many books as you like, and you can donate as many books as you like. It has become a place for us bookcrossers to congregate often.

Here is the book description from the publisher:

When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, has little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.

Here is an Amazon review that parallels my thoughts on the book:

I loved this book. It took me over a month to read because I was so engrossed in every single word. I loved the story, I loved the characters and I definitely love that it's a series. I can't wait to see the movie even though I have heard it is not so spectacular. It was nearly perfect but it took me a long time to begin to comprehend who the names were referring to, which was slightly distracting.

This book is being released at the cafe tables inside the restaurant during the monthly meeting of the Washington metropolitan area bookcrossers. This book was left there on purpose for you to find. Read and enjoy!

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Thank you so much for picking up this book. Please make a journal entry here on this page if you haven’t already done so to let me know that this book has found a good home. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (it is entirely free). If you choose to join, I would love if you could indicate nat4lee referred you.

I really hope you enjoy the book you found! When you’re done reading it, you can make another journal entry with your comments here to let me know what you thought of it. You can keep the book forever and ever or pass it on to someone else. If you’re giving it to someone directly, make another journal entry saying so. If you choose to leave it somewhere “in the wild” for anyone to catch, make release notes that indicate where you left it. If you register, you will be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. It’s all confidential (you’re known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free. Then you can track this book as it goes on its journey!

Leaving this at the Sheraton OBCZ shelves.

Congrats and welcome to BookCrossing!
Thank you so much for picking up this book! Please make a journal entry here on this page if you haven’t already done so to let me know that this book has found a good home. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (joining is free). BookCrossing is entirely confidential (you’re known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address) and spam-free. If you register, you can track this book easily later as it goes on its journey!
I really hope you enjoy the book you found! When you’re done reading it, you can make another journal entry with your comments here to let me know what you thought of it. You can keep the book forever and ever or pass it on to someone else. If you’re giving it to someone directly, make another journal entry saying so. If you choose to leave it somewhere “in the wild” for anyone to catch, make release notes that indicate where you left it. If you register, you will be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry.