Maloney, Brenna. Buzzkill: A Wild Wander Through the Weird and Threatened World of Bugs. Dave Mottram, Illus. Non-fiction. H. Holt, 10/2022. 384pp. $19.99. 978-1-2508-0103-6. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 4-8.
Some books demand to be shared—the stories are just too good, the facts just too amazing. Buzzkill is one of those wild rides, full of mind-blowing information: a person has 650 muscles, a caterpillar has 4,000; there is an insect that hitchhikes on the face of a butterfly; the cheetah has nothing on the tiger beetle, which can run so fast it temporarily goes blind. The chapter on the hows and whys of metamorphosis will never leave you, ditto the one on all the murders solved by insect involvement. But despite her enthusiastic and irreverent tone, Maloney doesn’t just list wacky facts—she makes a compelling case for the crucial importance of bugs in our ecosystem and includes a whole chapter that encourages readers to do their part and get involved in learning about, appreciating, and protecting the insects upon which our life on earth depends. Back matter includes multiple organizations and citizen-scientist links, a suggested reading list, and selected sources. Review based on an ARC.
Melissa McAvoy, Retired
