Kidlit Review: Beetle Busters
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| Beetle Busters (Scientists in the Field Series)By: Loree Griffin Burns Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers ISBN: 0547792670 Author’s Website: http://loreeburns.com/ Author’s Social: Twitter | Facebook Format of Review Copy: Paperback |
Synopsis (from Amazon):
The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has made news across the United States. These beetles came to America from China, living in wood turned into shipping material. At first the beetles invaded urban areas, where hardwood trees were in limited supply—Chicago was able to declare itself ALB-free in 2006. But right now there is bad news in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Toronto—infestations have erupted in the area’s hardwood forests, and these beetles, while bad at flying, are very good at killing trees.
Clint McFarland’s job? Stop the ALB at any cost. How do you balance the needs of residents, the impact to the environment, and an invasive species primed to wipe out entire forests? It takes the help of everyday people, such as children playing baseball at a playground, teams of beetle-sniffing dogs, and science-minded people (bug scientists and tree doctors) to eradicate this invasive pest.
My Thoughts:
I enjoy this series and I suspect young science enthusiasts will as well.
With Beetle Busters, we learn about the damage this particular beetle causes in hardwood forests and follow a team as they try to contain the infestation. The book is full of full-color photos which makes the “sciency” talk a little easy to follow for those of us not so “sciency”. In this book, children will learn about the insect (and eggs, etc) as well as the dangers it poses to our environment. The will learn about the beetle and also how to recognize infested trees, etc.
| Mom Notes:The Scientist in the Field books are aimed at middle grade readers, and are great for those kids with an interest in nature or science. Recommended for middle graders, say ages 8+ |
For Students & Teachers:
| ATOS Book Level: 7.3 Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8) AR Points: 2.0 Word Count: 10678 Genre: NonFiction |