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Monstrous :

Title :

Monstrous : the lore, gore, and science behind your favorite monsters / Carlyn Beccia.

Title:

Monstrous :

Author:

Beccia, Carlyn

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

149 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 24 x 28 cm

ISBN:

9781512449167

Production / Publication Information:

Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Books, [2019]

Contents:

Frankenstein, science creates monsters -- Vampires, bloodsucking beasts -- The voodoo zombie, the fear is in your head -- King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world -- Werewolves, beasts that bite -- Godzilla, king of the monsters -- The Kraken, the un-calm seas -- Zombies, the walking dead -- Bigfoot, man or monster? -- Dragons, here be beasts -- The magic of science.

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 142-145) and index.

Target audience note:

Age 9-14.

Language:

English

Genre:

Instructional and educational works.

Illustrated works.

Subject Term:

Monsters -- Juvenile literature.

Science -- Miscellanea -- Juvenile literature.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	YA 001.944 BEC	32114002576776	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library Children's Room	J 001.944 BEC	31330008694832	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	J 001.944/BEC	33934004309713	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	J 001.944 BEC	32116003677065	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	J/001.944/BECC	31480011323786	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	J 001.944 BECCIA	32120001299906	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	J 133.1 BEC	37003701821341	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groveland - Langley-Adams Library	J 001.94 BECCIA	32121000823688	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	J 001.94 BEC	30470001810190	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	J/001.944/BEC	31479007361826	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library	J 001.94 BEC	32124002024610	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	J 001.944 BEC	31548003276137	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Middleton - Flint Public Library	J 001.944 BEC	32126001700702	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	J 001.944 BECCIA	32133002462100	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	J 001.944 BEC	32135001469416	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

Bursting with blood, guts, history, and science, this book is a must-have for monster lovers of all agesCould Dr. Frankenstein's machine ever animate a body? Why should vampires drink from veins and not arteries? What body parts are best for zombies to eat? (It's not brains.) This fascinating encyclopedia of monsters delves into the history and science behind eight legendary creatures, from Bigfoot and the kraken to zombies and more. Find out each monster's origin story and the real-world history that informed it, and then explore the science of each creature in fun and surprising ways. Tips and infographics--including monster anatomy, how to survive a vampire attack, and real-life giant creatures of the deep sea--make this a highly visual and fun-to-browse book."A fantastically researched, absolutely delectable approach to science education."--starred, Booklist"Informative and entertaining throughout for readers undead or otherwise."--starred, Kirkus Reviews

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Sept.)

Kirkus Review

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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist 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.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2010 Booklist