Monstrous

August 15, 2019
Eight renowned monsters of film, fantasy, and folklore offer gateways to scientific fields and enquiries. "The real magic is science," writes Beccia (They Lost Their Heads!, 2018), and to back up the claim, she surrounds introductions to familiar fantastic creatures, from Dracula to Bigfoot, the Kraken, werewolves, and King Kong, with excursions into diverse scientific topics relevant to each. After leading off with a look at the chemical bases of fear and other emotions, for instance, an account of Mary Shelley's creation of Frankenstein's monster serves as entree for discussions of electricity, the experiments of Galvani and others, how defibrillators work, glowing pigs and other products of genetic experimentation, lobotomies, head transplants, and how certain breakfast-cereal dyes turn poop pink. Moreover, later chapters invite readers to sink their teeth into a vampiric timeline from ancient Babylonia and the Twilight saga, weigh King Kong's unlikely mass ratio ("Did Beauty or Math Kill the Beast?"), glimpse a deep-sea "bone-eating snot-flower worm" chowing down on a dead whale, and assemble an official Centers for Disease Control zombie-preparedness kit that would, uncoincidentally, be just as useful in a pandemic or other natural disaster. The monsters are more comical than scary in the author's painted illustrations, and though her (living) cast defaults to white, she does include some brown-skinned figures. Informative and entertaining throughout for readers undead or otherwise. (index, glossary, large bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

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September 2, 2019
Beccia explores the historical, scientific, and psychological origins of eight notorious monster characters, including Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, zombies, Bigfoot, and others. Beccia illustrates in a ghoulish cartoon style, while infographics explore the monsters’ anatomical features and primary characteristics. Additional sections offer “How to” tips on surviving creature attacks (“If you spot a baby Bigfoot, you might be tempted to play with it, especially if it is cute and furry. Don’t”). Beccia explores the circumstances that contributed to the lore behind each being while bringing a scientific dimension to the playful concept. Alongside the text’s logical explanations (Could the Kraken really be a giant squid?), there is fun to be had, and readers will savor details about how history, superstition, and human perception have inspired some of the most feared and beloved monster legends. Ages 9–14.

August 30, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Beccia delivers an interwoven tale of science, history, and the fictional monsters we love and fear. The mixed-media illustrations are macabre and quirky when fictionalized, while frighteningly accurate when depicting scientific and historical infographics. Balancing darker backgrounds with colorful contrasting text, each monster biography has a mix of paragraphs, diagrams, and time lines/scales. Each monster (perhaps) becomes a little less scary as readers start to understand the science behind each one. From the electricity that seemingly awoke Frankenstein's monster to the radiation that evidently created Godzilla, the science is systematically broken down. Although some of the information may be disturbing for younger readers, the connections to history and science also make the text fascinating and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. VERDICT Avid fans of dinosaurs, animals, science, history, scary stories, or, more specifically, R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" and the "Hotel Transylvania" series will enjoy these monsters' origin stories.-Hilary Tufo, Columbus Metropolitan Library-Reynoldsburg

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2019
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Extraordinarily clever and phenomenally entertaining, this graphics-forward resource intrepidly investigates the science behind eight monsters and cryptids, digging into the possibilities of their existence, exploring ways to react in case of a hypothetical encounter, and drawing real-world parallels. Each scenario is loaded with data: chapters describe why King Kong's size makes him a mathematical impossibility (the square-cube law!), note that the mechanics of bodily decomposition might have made people a few centuries ago inclined to believe in vampires, and map the places in the world where Godzilla might like to stop and take in some radioactivity. Beccia's tone is as accessibly irreverent as it was in They Lost Their Heads! (2018), and she plays no games here, cheerfully admitting that, while Bigfoot is almost surely a hoax, it's best to be prepared to know how to make a cast of his footprint should you happen upon one (instructions included). The saucy cartoon illustrations are packed with hilarious dialogue asides, comparative size charts, and diagrams with helpful tips galore (need to know what to pack for the zombie apocalpyse? This info comes straight from the CDC). Even the sillier segments have practical applications?the advice on what to do when a werewolf attacks can also be used for dogs?and the secondary resources are extensive. A fantastically researched, absolutely delectable approach to science education.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)