ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
SCIENCE
Maloney, Brenna

Buzzkill: A Wild Wander Through the Weird and Threatened World of Bugs

384 pp. | Holt/Godwin | October, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-1-25080-103-6 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-250-80105-0 $10.99
(1) YA In this wide-ranging, amusing, and informative investigation of the insect world, Maloney features the ways in which insects are remarkable unto themselves as well as in relation to humans and the environment. The book opens with a chapter on the basics of insect anatomy and characteristics, with plenty of examples to illustrate their remarkable diversity, then turns to chapters that center on particular insect themes and meander into related topics. A chapter on the role of insects in decomposition includes discussions about forensic entomology, poop-eating dung beetles, and an escapade involving deer skull scavenging, for example. Maloney herself is the central character: an enthusiastic, unflinching, and unfailingly curious explorer of all things insect. She cooks with cricket flour; mail-orders painted lady butterflies, hissing cockroaches, and an ant farm; conducts citizen science insect counts in her own backyard; and interviews scientists to gather information about cutting-edge insect investigation. Her friendly, engaging text includes many analogies (exoskeletons as "the ultimate power suit") and jokey asides. Interspersed throughout are spot illustrations of insects that combine field-study precision for the bodies with large cartoonlike eyes and expressions. If readers are not already inspired by Maloney's antics, the final chapter provides an exhaustive list of ways to take action and preserve insect species. A suggested reading list and an index (unseen) are appended.
Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

RELATED 

SCIENCE

How to Build an Insect
by Gibson, Roberta
SCIENCE

A Quick History of Math
by Gifford, Clive
SCIENCE

Butterflies Are Pretty...Gross!
by Mosco, Rosemary
SCIENCE

Summertime Sleepers
by Stewart, Melissa
SCIENCE

Birds
by Krestovnikoff, Miranda
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?