by Emily Krieger
illustrated by Tom Nick Cocotos
National Geographic Kids, 2014
ISBN 978-1-4263-1478-0
$8.99 (sc), 208 pp, ages 9+global
penguinrandomhouse.com
This book is about myth busting and really cool facts that most people don’t know about. If you have ever wondered if some things your parents tell you are true, this book might help you to find the answer. One thing that I learned by reading this book is that most people think the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body, but there isn’t a firm answer to the question. I found this interesting because I always thought that the tongue was the strongest muscle in the body, but other possible muscles could be the gluteus maximus (butt), masseter (jaw), and soleus (calf muscle).
There were some myths in the book I knew weren’t true, but it was interesting to find out the true reasons for them. One example was the myth that a swallowed watermelon seed will grow into a watermelon in your stomach. Of course a watermelon seed will never sprout and grow fruit in your stomach, but this is because there is no sunlight and other things that a seed needs to grow.
I liked how the book also included some interesting facts such as a watermelon is 92% water, houseflies lay their eggs in poop and garbage so that their young have something to eat when they hatch, and skunk spray is flammable.
This is a good book for anyone who likes to find out good information and has always had questions about some things people tell you. You can always impress someone with cool facts that you learn too.
Review by Brennan, age 11, grade 7.
This review is from Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Sept/Oct 2016 issue.