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  • Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off! : The Science Scoop on More Than 30 Terrifying Phenomena!

Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off! : The Science Scoop on More Than 30 Terrifying Phenomena!

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Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off! : The Science Scoop on More Than 30 Terrifying Phenomena!

   This book is, according to author Glenn Murphy, “more than a big book of “bad” and “scary.” It’s a journey into fear itself.”

   Murphy, who is a science writer, explores the basis of human fear, the body’s response to fear, which fears are common to people all over the world, and most importantly, how to conquer your fears! Using “ a bit of biology, a spot of psychology, and oodles of lovely facts and figures,” he teaches readers about fears and how they can “balloon” into phobias and how to use this knowledge to “stop fear and panic in their tracks.”

   This book is contagiously readable and covers very scary things that, with the author’s help, can be easily managed when understood from the perspective of scientific knowledge.

   Humorous footnotes make light of some of these facts and the reader will find him/herself laughing out loud. For example, when talking about the deathstalker scorpion, Murphy notes “…which is also, without doubt, the animal with the coolest, scariest name in the world. If a bunch of deathstalker scorpions formed a rock band, they’d just use their own name. You can’t beat that.” *Sharp black-and-white photos capture the essence of the fear under discussion, and bullet points, “fear facts,” and comic illustrations add to the experience. This book is quite scholarly and readers can learn so much about almost any kind of fear and how to manage it—including wild and scary wildlife, natural disasters, doctors, dentists, and deadly diseases, “in the unlikely event,” “in the bad place,” and even the unknown, including death and the possibility of an afterlife.

   Because the book is sectioned by these larger categories, readers can pick and choose topics of interest. Because the author is from England he uses some words and phrases that are not typical to American English, but the Harry Potter generation should have no trouble with the translation!

   This book is a page turner for kids of all ages who are interested in fear, the fearful, science, life, and ultimately, in hope. Most highly recommended. 192 pages Ages 9 and up   978-1596436336

Recommended by: Shari Shaw, Librarian, Michigan USA

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