What do you think?
Rate this book
Everything You Need...in One Big Fat Notebook
Everything You Need to Ace Biology in One Big Fat Notebook
Biology? No Problem! This Big Fat Notebook covers everything you need to know during a year of high school BIOLOGY class, breaking down one big bad subject into accessible units. biological classification, cell theory, photosynthesis, bacteria, viruses, mold, fungi, the human body, plant and animal reproduction, DNA & RNA, evolution, genetic engineering, the ecosystem and more. Study better with mnemonic devices, definitions, diagrams, educational doodles, and quizzes to recap it all. Millions and millions of BIG FAT NOTEBOOKS sold!
528 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
174 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Brown
85 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.
Matthew Brown (2 spaces): co-author of the JeeMin series with Lori Brown
Matthew Brown (3 spaces): GRs author, multiple genres
Matthew Brown (4 spaces): comics and dark cartoons
Matthew Brown (5 spaces): lawyer who specializes in Christian causes
Matthew Brown (6 spaces): print on demand books
Matthew Brown (7 spaces): British history professor with a focus on South America
Matthew Brown (8 spaces): music theory
Matthew Brown (9 spaces): narrator
Matthew Brown (10 spaces): poetry and horror
Matthew Brown (11 spaces): coloring books
Matthew Brown (12 spaces): self-help, crafts; all books have random “initials”
Matthew Brown (2 spaces): co-author of the JeeMin series with Lori Brown
Matthew Brown (3 spaces): GRs author, multiple genres
Matthew Brown (4 spaces): comics and dark cartoons
Matthew Brown (5 spaces): lawyer who specializes in Christian causes
Matthew Brown (6 spaces): print on demand books
Matthew Brown (7 spaces): British history professor with a focus on South America
Matthew Brown (8 spaces): music theory
Matthew Brown (9 spaces): narrator
Matthew Brown (10 spaces): poetry and horror
Matthew Brown (11 spaces): coloring books
Matthew Brown (12 spaces): self-help, crafts; all books have random “initials”
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 30, 2024
Pros: This book has a cute esthetic and I appreciate the inclusion of mini quizzes after each chapter.
Cons: I have a degree in biology and teach high school science and found several major inaccuracies that are problematic. In particular:
- the confusion between pulmonary arteries and veins. (It is a common misconception that vein are defined as vessels that carry deoxygenated blood, as defined in this book; in reality, veins are defined as vessels that lead TOWARDS the heart. As such, the pulmonary veins, coming from the lungs, carry oxygenated blood back to the heart.)
- fossils are described (and depicted) as being found in the Earth's mantle; this betrays a deep misunderstanding of the Earth's layers, since the mantle is made of molten rock (ie. magma).
- during mitosis, spindle fibres connect to the chromosomes during prometaphase, and are responsible for pulling the chromosomes into place.
Although the book is generally well-organized, there is some odd repetition and it includes some details that I find extraneous/excessive, while skipping over entire sections. For example, DNA replication is explained nearly at a university level, followed by RNA transcription and then... translation is not named at all, and the process is barely described in one sentence.
Finally, although most explanations are simple and easy to understand, but some sections seem to contradict one another or are otherwise poorly written. Frankly, I don't understand how these issues made it past an editor.
Cons: I have a degree in biology and teach high school science and found several major inaccuracies that are problematic. In particular:
- the confusion between pulmonary arteries and veins. (It is a common misconception that vein are defined as vessels that carry deoxygenated blood, as defined in this book; in reality, veins are defined as vessels that lead TOWARDS the heart. As such, the pulmonary veins, coming from the lungs, carry oxygenated blood back to the heart.)
- fossils are described (and depicted) as being found in the Earth's mantle; this betrays a deep misunderstanding of the Earth's layers, since the mantle is made of molten rock (ie. magma).
- during mitosis, spindle fibres connect to the chromosomes during prometaphase, and are responsible for pulling the chromosomes into place.
Although the book is generally well-organized, there is some odd repetition and it includes some details that I find extraneous/excessive, while skipping over entire sections. For example, DNA replication is explained nearly at a university level, followed by RNA transcription and then... translation is not named at all, and the process is barely described in one sentence.
Finally, although most explanations are simple and easy to understand, but some sections seem to contradict one another or are otherwise poorly written. Frankly, I don't understand how these issues made it past an editor.
November 6, 2021
Pretty good overview of biology. Great for high school students.....wonderful refresher
March 25, 2022
I think it was good, but it could be better, easier to understand for younger people.
June 22, 2023
good book. let’s hope it’s enough for next year.
July 9, 2023
Matthew is my savior💅💅
January 5, 2026
There’s too many inaccuracies and omissions to recommend this.
Regarding the two subjects I take the most interest in, this book’s coverage of evolution and ecology is in fact no more detailed, if not worse, than the 2016 middle school study guide for general sciences (which one would expect to have dumbed-down content on any particular subfield of biology):
On Artificial Selection
“ New species can be created by mating only certain individuals in a population if you wanted to create a breed of black dogs from a population of dogs with different-colored coats, only the black dogs would be bred with one another, until alleles for all other fur colors were eliminated from the breed. Humans have used selective breeding to create hundreds of dog breeds, along with many other animals. We've used selective breeding extensively with plants, especially for crops. Selective breeding is like natural selection, except humans are doing the selecting, not nature. ” (Middle School Science)
“ Humans have engineered new species themselves through a process called selective breeding. In this process, two breeds are bred together to produce a new breed with more desirable traits.” A figure of a Labrador retriever and poodle being crossbred is shown. (High School Biology)
On Symbiosis
Sometimes, organisms from different species interact with each other in a way that benefits one or both of them. This is called symbiosis. Symbiosis happens in three different ways: 1. Mutualism: Both species benefit from associating with each other. For example: an oxpecker eats the ticks that attach to zebras. The oxpeckers get food, and the zebras get cleaned. 2. Commensalism: One organism benefits from the relationship while the other remains unaffected. Clown fish, which are resistant to stings from sea anemones, use sea anemones for protection, and the sea anemones are unaffected. 3. Parasitism: One organism, the parasite, feeds off another organism, called the host. Hookworms enter their hosts, such as a dog or human, and feed off nutrients in the host’s small intestine. The hookworms feeds itself by stealing nutrients from the host.” (Middle School Science)
“ [Populations] that help one another often do so in symbiotic relationships, where two or more organisms act in ways that benefit all organisms involved. However, if the environment or climate can’t support normally symbiotic organisms, then will compete with one another for resources, sometimes even preying on one another to increase their chances of survival.” (High School Biology)
Unlike the Middle School Science study guide, High School Biology contains no mention of ecological succession or chemotrophs and no diagrams of food webs or rainforest zonation, and omits the energy pyramid diagram despite having a section labeled “Ecological Pyramid”. Most of the “Plant Adaptations” section is essentially a list of biomes (with little mention of corresponding plant adaptations, incidentally) made redundant by the appropriate section further down in the book.
I’d also add that Passeriformes (the most speciose order of birds) is not among the five selected bird orders listed, a roundworm and a lamprey are represented by the same illustration, a hematophagic “sucker-like mouth with claws or teeth” is implied to be a moderately common feature of the Chondrichthyes (this only applies to the cookiecutter shark, and I suspect someone assumed the jawless fish belonged in this category before being hastily corrected), all modern reptiles (in addition to birds) are implied to be descended from dinosaurs (any 7-year old at this point knows this is patently wrong), a blaze-orange-clad rifleman presumably represents a pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer, “hominids” are implied to include only humans and extinct relatives, and “protists” are still a single kingdom (inexcusable for a 2021 book). Perhaps worst of all, however, are the errors pertaining to photosynthetic eukaryotes.
“…algae…live only in aquatic areas.” Conveniently enough, the book completely ignores that lichens exist)
“…only plants [among organisms] are eukaryotic, multicellular, and have cell walls made of cellulose”. A contradiction on the next page: “Seaweed are protists, eukaryotic, multicellular and have cellulose cell walls. They are not considered plants because they do not have roots, stems, or leaves.” The book neglects to explain that non-vascular plants lack all three of these structures as well.
These (and the lack of detail inherent in this format and the “doodley” art style) seemed to put me off using the book to study the important micro-level topics I was less familiar with (e.g. biomolecules, respiration, photosynthesis). I would definitely caution against using this in place of a standard textbook.
Regarding the two subjects I take the most interest in, this book’s coverage of evolution and ecology is in fact no more detailed, if not worse, than the 2016 middle school study guide for general sciences (which one would expect to have dumbed-down content on any particular subfield of biology):
On Artificial Selection
“ New species can be created by mating only certain individuals in a population if you wanted to create a breed of black dogs from a population of dogs with different-colored coats, only the black dogs would be bred with one another, until alleles for all other fur colors were eliminated from the breed. Humans have used selective breeding to create hundreds of dog breeds, along with many other animals. We've used selective breeding extensively with plants, especially for crops. Selective breeding is like natural selection, except humans are doing the selecting, not nature. ” (Middle School Science)
“ Humans have engineered new species themselves through a process called selective breeding. In this process, two breeds are bred together to produce a new breed with more desirable traits.” A figure of a Labrador retriever and poodle being crossbred is shown. (High School Biology)
On Symbiosis
Sometimes, organisms from different species interact with each other in a way that benefits one or both of them. This is called symbiosis. Symbiosis happens in three different ways: 1. Mutualism: Both species benefit from associating with each other. For example: an oxpecker eats the ticks that attach to zebras. The oxpeckers get food, and the zebras get cleaned. 2. Commensalism: One organism benefits from the relationship while the other remains unaffected. Clown fish, which are resistant to stings from sea anemones, use sea anemones for protection, and the sea anemones are unaffected. 3. Parasitism: One organism, the parasite, feeds off another organism, called the host. Hookworms enter their hosts, such as a dog or human, and feed off nutrients in the host’s small intestine. The hookworms feeds itself by stealing nutrients from the host.” (Middle School Science)
“ [Populations] that help one another often do so in symbiotic relationships, where two or more organisms act in ways that benefit all organisms involved. However, if the environment or climate can’t support normally symbiotic organisms, then will compete with one another for resources, sometimes even preying on one another to increase their chances of survival.” (High School Biology)
Unlike the Middle School Science study guide, High School Biology contains no mention of ecological succession or chemotrophs and no diagrams of food webs or rainforest zonation, and omits the energy pyramid diagram despite having a section labeled “Ecological Pyramid”. Most of the “Plant Adaptations” section is essentially a list of biomes (with little mention of corresponding plant adaptations, incidentally) made redundant by the appropriate section further down in the book.
I’d also add that Passeriformes (the most speciose order of birds) is not among the five selected bird orders listed, a roundworm and a lamprey are represented by the same illustration, a hematophagic “sucker-like mouth with claws or teeth” is implied to be a moderately common feature of the Chondrichthyes (this only applies to the cookiecutter shark, and I suspect someone assumed the jawless fish belonged in this category before being hastily corrected), all modern reptiles (in addition to birds) are implied to be descended from dinosaurs (any 7-year old at this point knows this is patently wrong), a blaze-orange-clad rifleman presumably represents a pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer, “hominids” are implied to include only humans and extinct relatives, and “protists” are still a single kingdom (inexcusable for a 2021 book). Perhaps worst of all, however, are the errors pertaining to photosynthetic eukaryotes.
“…algae…live only in aquatic areas.” Conveniently enough, the book completely ignores that lichens exist)
“…only plants [among organisms] are eukaryotic, multicellular, and have cell walls made of cellulose”. A contradiction on the next page: “Seaweed are protists, eukaryotic, multicellular and have cellulose cell walls. They are not considered plants because they do not have roots, stems, or leaves.” The book neglects to explain that non-vascular plants lack all three of these structures as well.
These (and the lack of detail inherent in this format and the “doodley” art style) seemed to put me off using the book to study the important micro-level topics I was less familiar with (e.g. biomolecules, respiration, photosynthesis). I would definitely caution against using this in place of a standard textbook.
December 16, 2024
To start, "Everything You Need to Ace Biology in One Big Fat Notebook" does exactly what it says on the tin: gets to the point to make sure you know what high school wants you to know about the wondrous subject of biology. You'll get to learn the cool ways cells, genetics, & organs work, as well as all sorts of kinds of living creatures. Although, this one tends to stay by the rules, since it kind of implies that the Linnean taxonomy is the objective way these majestic creatures we live with are categorized, which is far from true. It won't tell you the truth about birds & dinosaurs, but it will surely show you how to Ace your tests about birds & dinosaurs!
August 22, 2023
Sách tổng hợp các kiến thức sinh học theo hệ thống nên giúp người đọc có cái nhìn tổng quan, bao quát. Mỗi một phần đều nêu những kiến thức chung nhất nên không quá khó hiểu.
Mình thích dạng sách này vì cảm giác bù đắp nuối tiếc học sinh ngày cấp 3 haha. Sao đọc thấy thú vị thế mà ngày xưa học chả thấy hay cái gì?!
Sách này các em cấp 2 và cấp 3 có thể đọc để mở rộng kiến thức, thêm yêu môn sinh học.
Vì rất nhiều chủ đề trong có vài trang sách (mỗi trang lại chỉ viết có vài dòng) nên những kiến thức sâu và rộng hơn cần phải tìm đọc nguồn khác nữa.
Mình thích dạng sách này vì cảm giác bù đắp nuối tiếc học sinh ngày cấp 3 haha. Sao đọc thấy thú vị thế mà ngày xưa học chả thấy hay cái gì?!
Sách này các em cấp 2 và cấp 3 có thể đọc để mở rộng kiến thức, thêm yêu môn sinh học.
Vì rất nhiều chủ đề trong có vài trang sách (mỗi trang lại chỉ viết có vài dòng) nên những kiến thức sâu và rộng hơn cần phải tìm đọc nguồn khác nữa.
December 9, 2024
In Matthew Brown’s Everything You Need to Ace Biology in One Big Fat Notebook, the authors make complex and intricate knowledge points easy and accessible to all readers or students who want to excel and learn more about biology. Overall, I picked this book because I enjoy learning science, observing, and learning more about living organisms on Earth. I would highly recommend this book to people of all ages, especially in middle school, who enjoy learning science and want to pursue learning beyond what is taught in school. In addition, this book is well organized into easy-to-follow sections that cover topics in biology, from cells and DNA to ecosystems and evolution. I enjoyed the colorful diagrams; summaries help break down complicated ideas into smaller, manageable parts. It doesn't feel like a boring textbook. It’s great for middle school students.
May 3, 2022
I remember when I remembered this stuff
September 1, 2022
Good set of reference materials and brief overviews. Clearly not enough discussion of chemistry, however.
December 28, 2024
Have read this book over and over again. One of the reasons why I topped the board exam, I guess 😅
July 4, 2025
organisms are complex machines which are made by evolution of billions of years. the most fascinating and also the most difficult part to understand is the chapter on DNA.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews