History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics

History Smashers #6

by Kate Messner, Falynn Koch (Illustrator)

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about history's pandemics, from the Black Death to COVID-19. Perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.

During the Black Death in the 14th century, plague doctors wore creepy beaked masks filled with herbs. RIGHT?
WRONG! Those masks were from a plague outbreak centuries later--and most doctors never wore anything like that at all! With a mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels, acclaimed author Kate Messner delivers the whole truth about diseases like the bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, tuerculosis, polio, influenza, and COVID-19.

Discover the nonfiction series that smashes everything you thought you knew about history! Don't miss History Smashers: The Mayflower, Women's Right to Vote, Pearl Harbor, Titanic, and American Revolution.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Science, Childrens, Juvenile, Graphic Novels

240 pages, Library Binding

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, both Lake Champlain historical novels published by North Country Books.

Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com

Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner

...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I am not reading Kate Messner’s History Smashers series according to their publication dates, but rather considering my own personal reading interests. And thus, after having first read Christopher Columbus and the Taino People (number eight of the series and published in 2023), I am now proceeding to number six, to Plagues and Pandemics (published in 2021 and thus also featuring information on the most recent global pandemic, on covid-19). And yes, Plagues and Pandemics is like Christopher Columbus and the Taino People educational, engagingly penned, solidly researched and with Kate Messner thankfully and appreciatively not at all being in my way afraid of destroying and outing both historical and contemporary myths and fallacies regarding medicine and mankind’s approach to infectious diseases, to epidemics and pandemics, with Messner’s text and Falynn Koch’s accompanying cartoon-like illustrations providing a successful and superb combination of text and images, a five star reading experience for both my adult reading self and equally so for my inner child, although my ageing adult eyes do kind of find the graphic novel parts of Plagues and Pandemics a bit hard to read with their rather tiny fonts (but that most definitely, albeit Plagues and Pandemics has of course primarily been conceptualised for younger readers from about the age of nine to twelve or so, in my opinion, Plagues and Pandemics should also work very well for basically anyone young and not so young who requires and wants a solid but still nicely basic verbal and pictorial introduction to plagues and pandemics both yesterday and today).

So before starting my perusal of Plagues and Pandemics I was wondering how much historical smashing Kate Messner would actually be doing and whether this would also be extending to the 20th and 21st centuries. And indeed, Messner’s smashing is extensive, pretty much all encompassing and I do very much appreciate that she engages in name dropping and that she also pretty much and wonderfully discredits those politicians who made light of AIDS (such as Ronald Reagan) and covid-19 (like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Boris Johnson). Combined with both a detailed source bibliography, as well as books and websites for further reading, I both highly rate and very strongly recommend Plagues and Pandemics for both pleasure reading and also for classroom and homeschooling use (but sadly, considering that there are a number of ranting and raving tirades online because Kate Messner is very much against covid-19 deniers, anti vaxxers and in particular and delightfully against populist politicians like Donald Trump who cater to these horrid ignoramuses, I can also easily see Plagues and Pandemics and the entire History Smashers being challenged and banned in US states like Florida, Alabama, Utah, Idaho, Texas etc.).

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww man!

This was great. This isn't my first time reading Kate Messner, but it was my first time diving into the the History Smashers series. I've never been able to process any science or math based information well, but there's something about plagues, epidemics, and pandemics that fascinates me as it illustrates the evolution of human awareness of microorganisms and how they impact our health. Messner captures a wide variety of illnesses that have plagued the world through different periods of time in a fun and engaging manner. In fact, I got upset at one point when I had to put this down to go to dinner. The illustrations, the pictures, the quick, accessible facts are great selling points for younger readers who already love non-fiction or may be attempting to get more into it. I can't wait to check out the rest of the books in this series.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a majority of the book was written well, the section on COVID-19 was beyond politicized. It had very biased information. It also had sections about climate change and racism?!?!? Enough with the woke propaganda!! Highlighting and calling Fauci a hero?!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with her other History Smasher titles, Messner presents middle grade readers with a solid introduction to disease and the wide variety of beliefs about their causes and treatments. Her focus is on addressing some of the many lies and myths that have been accepted as truth at various times and places in human history. Using sidebars, cartoon-like illustrations, photographs, and comics, Messner and Koch share with readers a fascinating introduction to the world of pandemics and vaccines. She shares information about a variety of different diseases and how the world has adapted to them. I especially enjoyed her brief introduction to some of the many 'health care heroes' who have helped to fight disease over the centuries. The book is very readable which for a challenging topic like this is very important, Messner makes a difficult topic understandable for the intended audience. The back matter is through and makes it clear that Messner worked hard to get things right. I loved the fact that she doesn't hold back, she presents things as they are and clearly points out the harm and various lies and myths have caused over the years, including misplaced blame. The nature of the topic guarantees that things get a bit gruesome at times. But for young readers interested in the topic this is a fabulous and important book.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a prior book in this series and hated it but decided I should read another before condemning the whole series. But I definitely started reading this book, biased against it! However, I simply had to admit that it was a pretty decent book! I have been interested in medical history since I was young and I was quite prepared to jump on this and scream how inaccurate it was. I can actually do that, a bit: she overstated the likelihood that King Tut died of Malaria. It certainly is likely but that poor guy had a whole slew of things wrong. There were a few other things where I could disagree but all of it would be trivial bits of information; unfortunately for my prejudice, this book was pretty well written. It is a solid 3 stars. What shot it up to 4 stars was the information for youth on Covid-19, through the point that vaccines were introduced! That is incredibly fast production for a book, particularly one meant for kids! That part was excellent and valuable! She took on a number of myths about the Covid-19 vaccines and "smashed" them. So, please, librarians, put this book on display and encourage kids to check this one out! I suppose I'll have to read another of her more traditional history books in this series to see what I think. I recommend this as highly as I did NOT recommend the other American Revolution)!

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fascinating and accessible look at plagues and pandemics through the ages. Published in 2021, it includes plenty of information and facts about the most recent pandemic; COVID-19.
Personally, I would have loved to learn more about plagues during the middle ages and the influenza pandemic of 1918. Give this to nonfiction fans who love facts, trivia buffs, tweens who aspire to be on Jeopardy or fans of the out of print Horrible Histories series.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for children AND adults alike. I love that it smashed so many myths, including how anti-vaccers got their original ideas against vaccines. The only issue I had in the book was the fact that they overlooked Rotary International's fight against polio - Rotary has done a TON to get rid of polio and that organization is not even mentioned. Even a small blurb would have been nice. Still, a great history and science book that is FUN to read!

[K. Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underrated: Reading non-fiction middle grade books as an adult. I really like how the information is packaged - not too long, but gives you the good details. Especially wonderful when I want to learn more about a topic without doing hours of a deep-dive.

Although wow, more diseases than I knew are spread through ingesting fecal matter. And I want to cry a little.

But, I do love the silly cartoons. I won't deny it!

[Kris Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! It felt like a lot of informative content shoved into a small package, which could be a good thing depending on the audience.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear, concise, & historically accurate account of plagues & pandemics for middle grades. More recent pandemics are backed up with large-scale & peer-reviewed scientific studies & evidence. Highly recommend!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Still interesting and engaging, just like the rest of the series. And there were a number of points that Messner picks apart and clarifies, specifically sharing credit for discoveries and contributions typically attributed to whatever white man was handy to the situation.

Messner reliably tries to disrupt common knowledge by naming those traditionally erased by history. In this installment I noted several Native American threads of these stories that were duly noted. And I think this is why I’m beset by outsized irritation over the absence of Onesimus and Cotton Mather in the smallpox chapter.

Overall, though, she hits anti-vaccination talking points hard, and I was struck by how our history of misunderstanding disease transmission and misapplying solutions has translated to the pandemic of the last two years. I felt a strong connection to history (in ways I probably never wanted).

[Molly]

**2022-2023 Alaska Battle of the Books 5th/6th Selection**

I learned a lot from this! The blend of text, photos, comics, and call-outs is sure to keep readers engaged. (One of my library kids read this and wanted to tell me everything he learned about Ebola.) I appreciated that Messner made connections between how plagues and pandemics disproportionately affect people who are low-income, as well as how racism plays a role in who is most impacted. Additionally, Messner did not shy away from discussing how the spread of misinformation can impact the spread of disease. Great information and format.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that interested me in History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics is this particular book wasn't about a specific historic event, more like an ongoing crisis. It starts out with an ancient plague mention in the Epic of Gilgamesh around 2000 BCE, and ends in the middle of COVID-19 in 2020. I love that it mentions Covid, because it makes right now a part of history for people who read this book years from now. That is so cool to me.

So, read History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics by Kate Messner!

[Tressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be all in graphic novel format but I'm actually glad that is wasn't. It was a mix of informational non-fiction text, with some call-out sections, and a little bit of graphic novel (comics style) format. I'm not usually a fan of informational text but the author mixed in some humor with facts and kept "the learning" interesting.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done entry in this series. Messner explains and explores information on diseases from ancient times through the Covid19 pandemic. Readers see scientists of all time periods study and learn to keep humanity safe. She finishes with explanations on why no one can predict when the next epidemic will arrive.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The target market should’ve read this during the bad days of Covid. What is a plague? History of plagues, what Internet doctors got wrong, what we eventually learned. There was what doctors got wrong as they learned the scenario. The truth of vaccines that adults still get wrong.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Messner, former MS teacher, knows how to write for her audience. Informative, slightly gross, and sometimes laughable ten chapters. Highly engaging and a quick read.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First to admit that I’m not the target demographic for this series, but I really enjoyed this and cannot wait until a POTENT PLAGUES AND PANDEMICS category comes up on Jeopardy so I can blow the family away. That’s how much I learned about viruses and nasty mosquitoes, all presented in a fun and stylized fashion in a combo of graphic panels, text and photos.

I think casual readers of all ages would enjoy this series that also tackles Titanic, Pearl Harbor, and other bad days in US history.

[Katherine Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great graphic novel to teach middle school and high school kids the basics of disease and pandemics. Easy to read and understand. I think reluctant readers would like this.

[Jordan Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually not much propaganda in this one lol

[Oscar Lilley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inappropriately partisan. Wildly sychophantic. I would give details but that would require too much energy for a book I wish I never opened.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit surprised by how complex some of the explanations were--I'm probably underestimating children's ability to understand these topics. The inclusion of drawings that are both illustrative and (frequently) comical work well. I also appreciated the little sidebar stories that helped give some of the topics a more human aspect.

Overall, an accessible primer for plagues and pandemics and the science and history behind them.

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love children's nonfiction. It explains things so clearly and concisely. And also it's often kinda irreverent and fun. This book is no exception. I learned SO MUCH about all sorts of plagues and illnesses! I learned so much about the people who made scientific discoveries that help us stay healthy and alive! Little graphic novel-type strips of historic events are scattered throughout. Also it was really interesting to read a book that integrates COVID-19 as a historic event! Yikes!

[Ashley Funk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and interesting. Most of the information was new to me, and I enjoyed learning more about the history of diseases and epidemiological research. While the vast majority of the book read neutral, the last couple chapters were political and biased.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more bookish thoughts, see my blog: Craft-Cycle

An interesting and informative read centered around various diseases and plagues throughout human history. This is the first I've read in the History Smashers series and absolutely love the format. The book focuses on smashing various myths and misinformation surrounding disease, pandemics, and vaccines.

The text is broken up by fun (and often humorous) illustrations, black-and-white photographs, and breakout stories in a comic-style format. Messner also works in her own humor in the explanations, which makes for a fun read.

This book is packed with information but in a way that is easy to manage. I found the stories fascinating and really enjoyed learning from this book. Messner covers various diseases such as bubonic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, polio, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID 19. There is also a chapter on the future of pandemics, giving information on how outbreaks and pandemics have changed due to climate change and antibiotic resistance.

It also works in relevant information about fake news, skewed research studies, the safety of vaccines, racism and economic disparities related to outbreaks, and how to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria. Throughout Messner highlights Health Care Heroes, many of whom have been overlooked in history, specifically women and people of color such as Dr. Patricia Webb's and Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe's roles leading to the discovery of the Ebola virus.

The backmatter contains various resources including recommended materials for learning more, a glossary of terms, a selected bibliography of resources used, and an index.

Fascinating, fun, and well worth the read. A great non-fiction resource for engaged learning. Will definitely be reading more History Smashers books.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! I find the information inside these books interesting, fun, and entertaining. Even the smallest detail or fact, the author presents the information in such a way that makes it engaging and gives me the, “well, isn’t that interesting” feeling. I just wish my brain could absorb all this information so I could retrieve it later.

Using a variety of illustrations including comics, realistic photos, graphs and charts, the author presents a variety of material in this book. I think this helps the reader absorb everything that this book has to offer. The pages are splashed with a variety of different types of fonts, ranging in different sizes to grab the reader and pull them in. There is something in this book for everyone. This book was not geared for me (50+ years old), but I really enjoyed this book. I mean I really enjoy this whole series.

Do you know:
• Where the image of the AMA/WHO arrived from? Do you know what an asclepeion is? Perhaps the cures of the past are not all that different than the ones used today.

• The ancient Chinese people created their own immunization for smallpox? It didn’t involve getting a shot, but it sure helped them with this disease.

• It was the discovery of germs that created a huge scientific breakthrough? Two diseases helped scientists discover what germs were.

• How the March of Dimes got their name? This I found was very interesting.

From the earliest discoveries to what our world is facing now with Covid, this book covers it. There is quite a bit of information about Covid as this discovery and its path will shape our future and it’s fresh on everyone’s mind. This is an excellent book with lots of information and one to check out. Well, you should check out other books in this series also. 5 stars

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. So enlightening. I thought that I knew most of this, but so much I was mistaught, and/or we've learned better since. And, yes, this was planned before the Covid-19 pandemic, and not finished until Messner had a satisfactory idea of how it was going to 'end.'

R0 is pronounced R-naught.

I learned that it was Bonaparte who wanted to re-enslave Haiti, but that yellow-fever contributed to his loss.

Louisiana Purchase: "It wasn't land that the United states was buying. It was the right to buy or steal that land from native people without France getting in the way."

There's a nice bit to help kids figure out how to speak up against xenophobia, bigotry, and racism (particularly relevant right now because of all the lies Trump is vomiting!). "I don't find that funny." "I'm surprised to hear you say that." "What you're saying can really hurt people."

Part of the reason that the vaccine for COVID-19 was developed so quickly is because "Kizzmekia Corbett, Barney Graham, and other researchers at NIH have been studying other coronaviruses for years."

"Even backyard chickens and pet reptiles can carry dangerous microbes, so it's important to wash your hands well after handling any animals."

Includes bibliography, plenty of other back matter, and lots of helpful & appealing illustrations.

Next up, History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People.

[JUAN B · Rating 5 out of 5]

History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics written by Kate Messner is about the history of plagues and pandemics. You can know how Covid started, and how other diseases happen in the world. You can read how the diseases affected people. This book also talks about the Black death. The black death made people get a fever. But they could also get buboes, a dark spot on the armpit and in 24 hours you can die from it. The diseases can be on an animal like tic, dog, cat, and human rich and poor. Smallpox is the most feared diseases in history who was infected with the smallpox virus would first notice a fever, headache and muscle aches. On the third day spots would show up in the mouth, throat and nose. People who caught it good news is that survivors had immunity which meant they wouldn’t catch the disease again.




The pictures in this book can help you see what the diseases look like, and that is one of the reasons why I like this book. This book is good because it is about history. It is fun to read about plagues and pandemics. I like how they show King Tut and all the other diseases. That is why I like the book so much. This book is also easy to read and not hard to understand. My favorite chapter is the Black Death I like how it affected the people and the history about the Black death outbreak. I give this book a 5\5 stars.

[Dee Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

IMAGE: the typically shown bird mask of doctors during the 14th c. plague

Masterfully done for students from middle through high schools, this non-fiction work explains all the ridiculous theories about epidemics through history, while also highlighting steady scientific progress. You know those long, beaked masks doctors supposedly wore, stuffed with herbs to prevent the plague?? NOT A THING, as it turns out, more myth and fable than reality. Learn how travel and wars disseminate disease, when and how in the past the public listened to doctors and limited its spread--how easily we tend to lose our steadfastness when required to make small sacrifices for the greater good, and how that spreads disease like wildfire.

For those who've lived through COVID, this book details the science and separates out the nonsense to which we were all subjected, including bizarre ideas like shooting bleach and swallowing horse tranquilizer. Of course, the political blow-back on Amazon in buyers' comments is both expected and wildly hysterical, just the sort of thing this book dispels with science and unvarnished truth. Sadly, we do continue to be led through the nose; the CDC has bowed to corporate pressure to dissolve paid sick leave by eliminating recommendations for quarantine. While we've been assured that COVID is "over," it's ongoing still, still killing patients (mostly those who've not been vaccinated), and long COVID is still ruining people's lives.

You can find real COVID information by Googling the People's CDC, which posts weekly updates in Substack. It's described as "a collective of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, advocates, and people from all walks of life."

(In my own neighborhood a car displays this sign: "Only villains wear masks." My bi-racial family is immune-compromised; we will continue to wear our masks but are fearful when we venture out. Sigh*)

A must-read. Epidemics are now a fact of life.

[Amid Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a really quick and fun way to learn about not only history but also science and medicine in general. I really love reading about epidemiology because I think microbes and viruses are really interesting. I thought it was really fun to learn about the different pandemics throughout history as well as current diseases that we have that have been present since human history has existed more or less. For example, I didn’t realize that the flu was so common throughout history and I also didn’t know that smallpox has been eradicated. I mean I know that smallpox was really prevalent back in the day, but I thought it might’ve still been around maybe in other countries. I think it’s really amazing that people are working together to make so many diseases physically extinct for us so that we stop getting sick. I think that learning about things like the black death smallpox things that come from mosquitoes, cholera tuberculosis, polio, and even things like COVID-19 and future potential diseases that are constantly evolving and developing was really nice and it kind of brought me more insight and hope for the human species.