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

by Brenna Maloney, Dave Mottram (Illustrator)

Overview

The praying mantis is the only animal on Earth with one ear—and it’s in the middle of its chest. Aphids are born pregnant. Moths can’t fly during an earthquake. If you didn’t know these things, you soon will. Packed full of jaw-dropping facts, Buzzkill presents the big picture on bugs. You might think ew, gross. Insects are icky. Or scary. Or dangerous. They can be. But there’s so much more you need to know.

Insects play a critical role on our planet, from sustenance to pollination to medicines and more. Brenna Maloney tackles both the wacky and weird, as well as threats to insects and their habitats, their possible extinction, and ways that everyday people, like you, can prevent their decline.

Find out what all the buzz is about!

Godwin Books

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD TITLE

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250801050
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Brenna Maloney is a former reporter and editor for The Washington Post. She has spent more than a dozen years reporting, writing, and editing on environmental issues for the National Geographic Society and is also the award-winning author of several books. She lives and works in Washington, D.C.

Dave Mottram is a full-time illustrator living in Ohio. He works in mixed media and both traditional and digital art to create a style that is at once sophisticated and childlike. Dave has illustrated a wide range of books, including the Junior Library gold standard title, Buzzkill written by Brenna Maloney.
davemottram.com

Table of Contents

1 Scope and Scale 1

2 Feeding the World 45

3 Insects as Food 104

4 Cleanup on Aisle Four 151

5 And Everything Else 194

6 How Insects Suck 228

7 E Is for Extinction 267

8 How It Matters 293

9 Reproduction and Resilience 316

10 Doing Our Part 341

Suggested Reading List 367

Selected Works Cited 369

Acknowledgments 371

Index 375

Editorial Reviews

"Nearly every page of this volume has a fabulous fact or story to relate. The tone is informatively jocular, with a waggishness sure to appeal to middle-grade readers but content sophisticated enough to intrigue and educate teens. As entertaining as these stories are, scientific research is the foundation of this superb book. Fresh, lively, funny, and very, very informative" — Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

"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... 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." — Hornbook Starred Review

"Back matter includes organizations to contact, books to read, and actions to take to help support insect populations...An approachable text on a wide range of insect lore, this title has high appeal for those curious about bugs and would also be helpful for research" — School Library Journal Starred Review

"From the first page, the author delights with fascinating details in a jaunty, conversational style, periodically accompanied by funny cartoon spot art...A buzzy account for budding entomologists that’s sure to fly off the shelves." — Booklist Starred Review

From the Publisher

★ 11/11/2022

Gr 4–9—Maloney uses a humorous conversational tone as she begins with comparisons of size, then moves on to the role of insects as pollinators, decomposers, and even food sources. Readers will goggle at the idea of a bug as large as a Quarter Pounder but also learn the importance of insects to forensic scientists and which species are in danger of extinction. The author warns, "I just need to blurt stuff like that out…I lose friends this way; I really do." It is not an idle warning; there are graphic descriptions of the destruction a swarm of locusts can cause or how mosquitoes spread diseases. Tales of how her family reacts to experiments with chocolate chip cricket cookie mix or having to catch escapees from her ant farm give the book a personal, rather than a dry scientific feel. Illustrations, such as that of a bug slowly roasting on a spit over a fire in the section on insect-based food options, reinforce the humor. Back matter includes organizations to contact, books to read, and actions to take to help support insect populations. This title is densely packed with information and a bit lengthy for primary grade readers, but should please middle grade bug enthusiasts. VERDICT An approachable text on a wide range of insect lore, this title has high appeal for those curious about bugs and would also be helpful for research.—Suzanne Costner

School Library Journal

★ 2022-07-13
Insects: the why, what, where, and how.

Nearly every page of this volume has a fabulous fact or story to relate. The tone is informatively jocular, with a waggishness sure to appeal to middle-grade readers but content sophisticated enough to intrigue and educate teens. In addition to relaying scientific information on fascinating insect behavior (fire beetles lay their eggs in the midst of forest fires) and physiology (a cockroach can live without its head for 168 hours), the author relays her own insect adventures. She gleefully embarks on an experiment to observe Madagascar hissing cockroaches—a bit of curiosity that gets out of hand—and shares her phobia of grasshoppers, thereby tacitly giving readers permission to be skeeved out by insects while still being interested in them. As entertaining as these stories are, scientific research is the foundation of this superb book. It explores insects’ vital role as pollinators, describes their potential as human food, hilariously relates their important role in decomposing dead things, and much more. The examination of the human-caused sixth extinction (as well as a bit about the previous five) and what that means for insects and people strikes a more somber note. Occasional sprinkles of appealing, anthropomorphic, black-and-white insect illustrations add fun visual interest and will encourage readers to look up photos to receive the full effect.

Fresh, lively, funny, and very, very informative. (reading list, works cited, index) (Nonfiction. 10-18)

Kirkus Reviews