Gruesome Facts (A)

by Igloo Books

Gruesome facts encyclopedia.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Igloo Books publishes high-quality, affordable books for every kind of reader. From illustrated storybooks, novelty and board books, wipe-clean learning, licensed advent calendars, to coloring, sticker, and activity books, we have something for everybody between the ages of 0 to 100. We are the global leader of mass-market publishing with a world-wide reach in 77 countries across 64 languages. As of 2021 our products are climate neutral and we actively strive to remove, replace, and reduce plastic and excess in all our products.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

We picked this up at a used bookstore and I should have looked more closely at it because there’s a lot of pictures that are too mature for my almost 9 year old.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off interesting, but as the book went on, the facts seemed to get a little mature for what I expected the age range to be (8-12) from the synopsis, book design, and how the facts started with kid favorites such as dinosaurs and their poo.

There are lots of in-depth facts about murders, torture, and even the mention of orgies (I sure wouldn’t want to have to explain that one to my kid) that made the second half seem more geared toward 12+ when the first half seemed much younger.

It was a bit disorienting to go from the tamer facts to the more mature ones. I feel they should have just done a separate book for the more mature bits. I’m now debating whether or not this is appropriate for the kid I got it for in the first place and am glad I decided to read it beforehand.

I found myself not liking the second half of the book as much as the first. It also seemed like there was some weird prejudice toward those who get weight loss surgeries, calling both mentioned procedures as “gross”. Most medical procedures are “gross” so it seemed a little weird that both of these were mentioned yet no other surgeries aside from cultural customs in other countries were mentioned.

All in all, there were some interesting things I didn’t know and there are a lot of sections (from animals to bodily functions, history, plants, customs, diets, and more). It was cool that they added some sections on mythical spooky creatures like vampires, werewolves, and zombies.

I would hesitate to give this one to a child under 12 unless they’re mature for their age. Especially if they decide to ask what an orgy is.