Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World?

by Helaine Becker, Phil McAndrew (Illustrator)

"In a completely original approach to exploring science, award-winning author Helaine Becker places six different kinds of monsters --- Frankenstein, vampires, bigfoot, zombies, werewolves and sea monsters --- under her microscope to expose the proven scientific principles behind the legends."--

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Middle Grade, Monsters, History, Childrens, Paranormal

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2016

About the author

Helaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.

Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.

Reviews

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This little book is the perfect blend of science, mythology, history and everything monster-related. Using famous monsters as an excuse, Helaine Becker teaches children about the Enlightenment, DNA, blood diseases, genetic engineering and so much more. But she does that in a fun, entertaining way. The text is accessible to children, and we all know how kids get fascinated with monsters.

My favorite chapter is the one about the vampires (of course). I'm deeply fascinated with them. And thanks to Becker I now know that there is such a thing as immortality. HeLa cells got my full attention and I think I'd like to know more about them.
At the same time, the author fell into the trap of Romanian language:

The word dracul means "dragon" in Romanian.

This statement is as correct as the next one: The word devil means "dragon" in English. It's tiresome already to see my language butchered by foreign authors. And to think that this could be solved easily with the help of a translator.

Anyway, this is a good book for children: it's appealing, it has lots of information, and the drawings are just right, unlikely to give the young ones any nightmares.

*I thank NetGalley, Kids Can Press, and Helaine Becker for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic! Each chapter is dedicated to a different well known monster: Frankenstein, Vampire, Bigfoot, Zombie, Werewolf and Sea Monster, and for each of them the science, and also historic and cultural backgrounds, are analyzed in order to try to figure out if their existence could be possible.
As an example, in Frankenstein's chapter (which is also my favorite) the reader will find the story of when Mary Shelly wrote the first draft of the novel, the Enlightenment as the background, what is electricity and if it really can wake the dead, neurons, organ transplantation, genetic engineering, monsters as lonely creatures, mad scientists, body snatchers, and more.

Going through all the six chapters you will read about an incredibly amount of topics such as blood diseases, scientific revolution, metamorphosis, hypnosis, species classification, evolution, plagues, hybrids, Sonar, Tsunamis, and an endless etc.

The text is accessible for the age range, and the book is thoroughly illustrated with funny pictures, not scary at all. Most of the kids are interested, or at least curious, about monsters, and Monster Science is a great option to stimulate their interest in science.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well and in my opinion, the concept of Helaine Becker’s 2016 Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? is fun as well as at the same time being engagingly enlightening, and that in my humble opinion Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? is also the type of juvenile non-fiction many and perhaps even most young readers from about the age of eight to twelve or so and in particular boys would (and indeed should) find engaging and reading interest retaining. However, I must leave the very much necessary caveat that since Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? was published in 2016, any discoveries etc. post 2016 will of course not be included and that Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World is bien sûr also pre Covid-19, so that when Becker lists and analyses diseases and pandemics in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? there is naturally not yet any mention of Covid-19, that the pandemics mentioned in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? therefore stop with SARS (in 2003, although yes, Covid-19 is actually related to SARS as both are considered coronaviruses). And just to further point out that Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? would probably even work pretty decently with and be enjoyed by readers beyond the age of twelve mentioned above as well, albeit I do wonder whether teenaged and adult readers might well want and need just a trifle more factual science details, could find Phil McAndrew's colourful artwork rather too gaudily cartoony and silly and would most definitely be rather hugely annoyed and majorly frustrated with Helaine Becker neither acknowledging her sources nor providing a list of books and/or websites for further reading and research in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World?.

Now Becker presenting with Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? six of the most (in)famous, six of the most universally known monsters from literary fiction, movies, myths, legends (Frankenstein's monster, vampires, werwolves, Bigfoot, zombies, sea monsters) and also meticulous checking out their scientific plausibility, yes, this is certainly a really neat and also a majorly inspired consideration as many children and indeed if truth be told even many adults certainly do like to wonder whether vampires, zombies and the like could exist (and perhaps even be representing reality). And very much to Becker’s credit regarding her presented narrative and the scientific information being shown and provided in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World?, while textually and personally appreciatively Helaine Becker remains skeptical, she does ultimately answer the question posed in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? of whether monsters might be real and could thrive with a "maybe" (with showing that there still is much we do not know, that there are many questions left and many indeed without adequate and clear answers as to yes or no as well).

So for each of the six monsters showcased in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World?, Becker gives the most likely origins of the monstrous myth or myths, then examines the creature's best-known features and traits in relation to hard-core science and which delightfully also leads Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World to some very interesting and unexpected directions (and as textual examples, that for that the chapter on Frankenstein's monster, assessing the plausibility of reanimating a human body through electricity à la Viktor Frankenstein has Helaine Becker subsequently provide a brief history of the Age of Enlightenment, the cultural concept of the so-called mad scientist and the nature of electricity and that the section on Bigfoot and other elusive beasts includes Linnaeus’s standard classification of animals, Darwin’s theory of evolution and the notion of confirmation bias), and yes indeed, that Becker also throws in many groaner monster jokes throughout Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? (something that I personally could definitely do without, but which would probably be nicely fun and very much entertaining for the intended audience).

Lots and lots of information (cultural, scientific, historical, philosophical, literary etc.) is provided and included in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World?, and yes, for younger readers the sheer amount of facts upon facts Helaine Becker presents could maybe become just a wee bit overwhelming. And while this is not a huge issue and problem, for me, if using Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World for children at the younger end of the intended audience, with say eight or nine year olds, it might work a bit better to read, to cover one chapter at at time, although older children should probably be able to easily peruse and enjoy Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? from cover to cover and in one setting without being all that overwhelmed with and by the featured facts. Five stars in general for the combination of Becker's text and McAndrew's images regarding Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? and definitely very warmly and enthusiastically recommended, but lowered to four stars (since I am as an adult reader with a PhD and as already briefly alluded to above rather majorly annoyed at the complete lack of bibliographical materials in Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive!) in the Real World? and that Helaine Becker should definitely know a bit better regarding this).

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cleverly disguised book that teaches a lot of science to a wide audience. The author uses classic monster examples to cover a wide and fascinating range of real science, mostly relating to anatomy and biology. Kids will pick this book up for fun and the yuck factor and end up learning a lot of facts they certainly did not expect.

The book is very divided into topics by monster. The monsters included are Frankenstein, Vampires, Bigfoot, Zombies, Werewolves, and Sea Monsters. If we look at the first section on Frankenstien, the book touches on, the original Mary Shelley story, other lonely monsters in literature and whether loneliness could create monsters, 18th century anatomy experiments involving electricity, the work of Luigi Galvani and Volta, mad scientists throughout history and in literature, cardiac arrest and defibrillation, neurons and the nervous system, organ transplants, grave robbing, and genetic engineering. Each monster topic covers a wide variety of facts and related information with page after page of interesting facts, wonderfully exaggerated illustrations, and related scientific digressions. "Vampires" focuses on blood and circulation; "Bigfoot" on evolution and rare animals; "Zombies" on exotic diseases, and more

This is an amazing book to peak the interest in so many topics with the yucky and gross appeal of monsters, blood and guts. I think middle-grade children will love this book and it will open a lot of doors to science and discovery. This is a wonderful book that would be a hit in elementary school libraries.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bruce Gargoyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.

Ten Second Synopsis:
A high quality meeting of science and mythology in which everyone's favourite monsters are placed under the cold, hard microscope slide of fact. Kids can read up on the facts behind the myths to see if their favourite monster could exist in the real world.

This is a beautifully presented tome featuring a topic that most kids love to read about (monsters, of course!), covering some pretty complex scientific principles in a fun way. I was impressed with how much detail this book provided on the hows and whys of whether a monster could actually exist. For instance, in the first chapter on Frankenstein's monster, the book gives information about organ transplants, the electrical workings of our brains and bodies, historical information about grave-robbing and how early doctors made discoveries, and the principles of genetic engineering. The page spreads are colourful, and although there is a fair amount of text per page, there are also plenty of diagrams and illustrations to break things up a bit. I would definitely recommend this to those with a mini-fleshling who loves non fiction reads, especially those filled with wacky facts.

[Pop Bop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy Good, With Lots of Real Science

I expected that this would be a silly yuch-fest with a couple of science facts tossed in for balance. Boy, was I wrong. The author uses classic monster examples to cover a wide and fascinating range of real science, mostly relating to anatomy and biology. If you took out all of the monster stuff you'de still have a decent middle grade biology book. Add the monsters, the monster history, and the funny-exaggerated illustrations and you have a book with wide appeal.

The book is very cleverly divided into topics by monster. So, the teaching examples are Frankenstein, Vampires, Bigfoot, Zombies, Werewolves, and Sea Monsters. Consider Frankenstein. Here are the mini-topics we touch on: the original Mary Shelley story, other lonely monsters in literature, 18th century anatomy experiments involving electricity and the work of Luigi Galvani, principles of electricity and the work of Volta, mad scientists through history and literature, cardiac arrest and defibrillation, neurons and the nervous system, organ transplants, grave robbing, and genetic engineering. Are you kidding me? And every monster topic covers equally broad ground with page after page of interesting factoids, asides, illustrations, and related scientific digressions. ("Vampires" focuses on blood and circulation; "Sasquatch" on evolution and rare animals; "Zombies" on exotic diseases, and so on.)

I honestly don't think I've ever encountered a book that so well combines funny yucky-squishy stuff, goofy illustrations, and challenging but age appropriate science instruction. This book is an absolue goldmine for any kid, (like my grandson "T"), who likes non-fiction, but also can't resist a good monster angle.

What a clever premise, and what great execution. A downright exciting find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Wunderdrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title is nominated for the 2018 Hackmatack Award in the non-fiction category.
I really enjoyed this book A LOT more than I had anticipated! The title & cover are a great hook to get kids interested enough to pick it up, but all of the science inside will grab their attention and hopefully keep them reading. The idea of tying the six different types of monsters to the scientific principals and concepts was genius. The different sections make it an easy book to pick up and put down - good for both short bursts or long stints reading. I really enjoyed the 'monster facts' and little jokes throughout the book. The only thing that might have made it even better would be to include a couple of actual science experiments to try (potato battery for example). Also, I would have appreciated some kind of summary/wrap-up but that's just my taste. This is a great book! It's too early in the competition to make any predictions, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear this one become a favourite in our club.
Good resource for introducing scientific concepts in a fun way so kids can hardly tell they're learning. I would recommend this title to any kids who are interested in the Ripley's believe it or not type books, monsters, and science in general.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could Frankenstien's Monster be done today, and walk amongst us? Do vampires exist? What about Big Foot? These and more are covered in this great book for the middle school crowd, just about the right age to not only wonder about monsters, but to lap up the science in the book, which is presented with cool pictures, and little facts.

And what about the above questions? Well, we do have organ transplants, as well as Face transplants, so while we cannot animate the dead, we can build people from parts if the parts are live. And although we don't have people going around drinking blood to survive, there are animals that drink blood, such as female mosquitoes. And bigfoot? There are stranger things out there, so who knows?

Learn about the Hayflict Limit, and cheat death. Learn how there are 4 percent of people in the world with Neanderthal DNA, and what DNA means. Learn about zombies in the animal kingdom, such as the mind-controlling fungus that takes over ants.

This is a fun read, and I think if you give it to your favorite middle-schooler, or to even an adult, they will have a good time with it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book uses scientific facts to explain how monsters were created and how people could truly believe in and fear them. It also debunks monsters with science. For example, bacteria spreading diseases explain how zombies can contaminate each other. Hypothermia and cholera can make people look like zombies. But "if a zombie did walk the earth, it would slowly decompose into goo." Other monsters explained and debunked are: Frankenstein, vampires, bigfoot, werewolves and seamonsters. Each chapter ends with a quiz. The book is at times ironically funny. In the Frankenstein section, it talks about grave robbers. They dug up recently deceased bodies to sell to doctors and scientists. One grave robber was caught, hung and then his body was publicly dissected. Future doctors and scientists will love this book. It would be fun to have in a middle school Science classroom library.

[Andrea Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this. This book took something that most children (and a lot of adults) already like and linked it to science! I am a sucker for books that make science fun! I especially love that this book encouraged the students to look at each aspect skeptically and scientifically.
The best part of this book is that it talked about EVOLUTION!!! YES!
My only real complaint about this book is the lack of experiments or extension activities. I know that parents and teachers could find their own to add with this text and will but having a few included would have made this a home run.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the right reader, this book will be wonderful. Is it a good fit for the squeamish? No, though the cartoon drawings and humorous anecdotes may keep that from being as much an issue. I suspect this book will be most popular among my "unexplained phenomena" and cryptid readers. It might even lead some readers toward research on some of the science presented as possible explanations.

This review based on free ebook version provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging humorous book that will appeal to boys for sure but also anyone who has an interest in science. Plenty of details not just on the monsters but the science behind DNA, genetics, and the scientists themselves. The author also includes some fun interesting facts in history such as the people who murdered in history. There is also a quiz at the end of each animal (Frankenstein, Vampire, Big Foot, Zombie, Werewolf, and Sea Monster) to test your knowledge and see how close you are to being each animal. A fun yet informative science-y read.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very interesting book about science uses monsters as a hook. Each chapter is about a different kind of monster (like Frankenstein or zombies). Each monster is explained in a folkloric as well as historical context and then tells about the science behind each one. It sounds like it might be dull, but it was pretty interesting! The text passages are short and there are a lot of graphical elements. I think a lot of kids will find this one fascinating.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn about the classic monsters known as Frankenstein, Vampire, Bigfoot, Zombie, Werewolf and Sea Monster. Find out about creature anatomy, origins, scientific possibilities, and follow up with a beastly quiz. Howling good illustrations and fun side bars make this a fun read for ages 8 to 12.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read. Packed full of monsters like Frankenstein, Vampires and Bigfoot, it starts by giving a history as to where the myth or story of the creatures came from. It then continues with a modern day science look at them and explains whether or not they could exist or survive in the real world.

A fantastic read for any budding ghost buster.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all; this book is all about the science behind some of the most famous monsters. Could any of the following really exist?
Frankenstein,
vampires,
Bigfoot,
zombies,
werewolves,
or sea monsters
This book gives scientific facts that both defend and dispel the possibility.
Fans of nonfiction, monsters or all things science will love this one.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricks kids into learning about science!

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the extra information regarding historical figures and/or works of art and literature that reference each of the beings. I wanted to share it all with others while I was reading!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
All those classic horror story figures come out to play in a scientific way! Could they really exist? Science says yes! This is a fun way to engage with science. The quizzes were okay, but it's the explanations that make this book fun. The illustrations bring the whimsy!

Possible Objectionable Material:
Some people object to some of these horror story figures.

Who Might Like This Book:
People who like horror stories, monsters, and science. Definitely appropriate to the suggested age range, but the lexile level could be a bit of a stretch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review is also posted at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becker explores the possibilities of literary monsters surviving in today's world. She includes Frankenstein, Vampire, Bigfoot, Zombie, Werewolf, and Sea Monsters. While some information is delivered, she includes some lighthearted speculation. Phil McAndrew's irreverent illustrations are often hilarious! Sidebars, quizzes and examples are plenty in each chapter.

This would be fun to pull out in October... For grades 4-8.

[Jorja Boston · Rating 4 out of 5]

the start was not that interesting but it got really interesting at the end and i liked how it said how monsters could servive and how they were created/made up

[Magy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monster Science dives deeper into the history, experiments, and facts surrounding each chosen monster than you might expect. The book is divided into chapters by monster (Frankenstein, Vampires, Big Foot, Zombies, Werewolves, and Sea Monsters) with a quick quiz at the end of every chapter. Within the chapter the span of scientific topics covered is wide ranging and could be confusing for the younger end of the target audience (Grades 3-7). However, older students in that range and science lovers across the spectrum will relish the details, depth, and colorful illustrations that explain topics from electricity to neurons to transplants.

I like that the introduction of Monster Science clearly states that the book intends to give you information so that you can decide for yourself whether or not these monsters do, or at least could, exist. This approach creates a fun way for kids to practice synthesizing information - whether they're aware that is what they're doing or not.

Teachers could use this book as a foundation for argumentative/opinion writing, allowing students to argue which monster is most plausible or whether or not a specific monster could exist. Monster Science can also be used as a jumping off point (especially around Halloween in October) for further exploration of the many topics included like real animals that suck blood, confirmation bias, or parasites.

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

[Carolyn Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives extensive science information in a fun and compelling way.

Each section opens with the story of a "monster" - think Frankenstein, zombies, werewolves. Then, the author goes through all the science that would be necessary to make the stories true. For instance, in the werewolf section, we learn about the various myths of werewolves, their abilities and characteristics, and how to stop them. Then the science comes in... could a half wolf / half human hybrid really exist? How are characteristics inherited from your parents? Could genetic engineering create a hybrid? Are there diseases that would imitate werewolf appearance or behavior?

This book would be a good science read for those who love science and monsters! It also has plenty of "real" scientific information, and could form the spine of a very fun science study or course.

[KarnagesMistress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm almost 40, and I got a lot out of this book. Most of the science is correct. I would like to go on the record that an Egyptian Mau will also look to where a person is pointing. I was particularly fascinated that there have been 168 reported bigfoot sightings in my home state of Illinois between 1921 and 2013. There's an Oblong joke in there somewhere! I highly recommend this book to all children and their parents. In fact, I'm sending it to my sister-- I mean my niece. This book will also satisfy the 2018 Watauga County Public Library Reading Challenge categories: A Book About Science; A Book With The Color Purple In The Title OR On The Cover. I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into mythical/ cryptic creatures than this is the perfect book for them! I enjoyed how this book included timelines, "monster facts", anecdotes, historical bits and even quizzes toward the end of each chapter. . I also enjoyed how certain topics branched off into other important topics such as GMOs, electricities effect on the body, etc. If you are looking for a fun way to get facts about Vampires, werewolves, frankenstein, big foot, zombies and sea monsters than this book is for you!
* I received this as an ARC via NetGalley & Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book about monsters

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable history of a handful of monsters and an investigation of what characteristics may be found in real life. Highly recommended.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Monster Science so much. I’m sure kids will too! It’s a fun way to explore STEM concepts at home, school or the library.

[mawadda]

It was boring, but... interesting