A Moldy Mystery

April 15, 2006
Gr. 1-3. When his smart, messy older brother, Wayne, goes to science camp, Jeff grabs the chance to tidy up their room, and he throws away the yucky, moldy lunch containers under Wayne's bed. Then Jeff discovers that Wayne was growing the mold for a science project, so he calls on his friend Layla to help him decipher Wayne's notes, search the Internet, and work out how to use all kinds of foods to grow all kinds of mold. "Did you know?" boxes on the double-page spreads present information about molds--where they come from, how they form, why they smell, which are harmful--but this small picture book in the Science Solves It! series is more than a purposive fictional package for facts. The pictures show the kids dealing with the slime and mess, and the end of the story is a real surprise that evolves naturally from farce and the sibling relationship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)