Unseen Jungle: The Microbes That Secretly Control Our World

 Spicer Rice, Eleanor. Unseen Jungle: The Microbes That Secretly Control Our World. Part of the Hidden Life series. 2023. 176p. ISBN 9781536226461.

Unseen Jungle: The Microbes That Secretly Control Our World delves into the fascinating and disgusting yet often overlooked world of microbes. Microbes are single-cell organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye, and they include bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These tiny organisms are everywhere, both inside and outside of us, with a staggering number residing within our own bodies. 

Microbes fulfill diverse roles, from aiding digestion to manipulating the behavior of other creatures. Using engaging anecdotes and humorous illustrations, readers will learn about the intricate relationships between microbes and their environments, such as how fungi can control the minds of insects and how termites play a crucial role in the planet's ecosystem.

This captivating read is filled with entertaining facts, quirky sidebars, and even a guide to drawing E. coli, making it an enjoyable and informative experience for both aspiring scientists and those simply curious about the unseen world around them. Unseen Jungle highlights the importance of microbes in our lives, demonstrating how they impact our health, the environment, and even the behavior of other organisms.

Sing If You Can't Dance

Casale, Alexia. Sing If You Can't Dance. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9780571373802.

Living in a small town, Ven is a fiercely independent and determined British high schooler. Her family runs a music festival every year, and Ven has always been involved. But in the last few years, she has secretly been battling a chronic illness which has affected her physical abilities. Ven had to give up dance, abandoning her best friend Maddie and causing a rift in their relationship. A new arrival, Ren, a mysterious American, changes the dynamics at school. Ven is attracted to Ren, and he seems interested as well.

Since she can't dance, Ven is teamed up with other students in her Chorus class, and they start working together to create a competitive singing group, Ven juggles demanding rehearsals, the pressures of schools, and the complexities of her relationships increase the tension in her body, affecting her ability to function. 

As she struggles through these challenges, Ven unexpectedly discovers a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. Her journey of self-discovery demonstrates that even when faced with adversity, there is always room for joy, creativity, and new beginnings. Hers is a poignant and uplifting story that celebrates the strength of the human spirit and the importance of finding your own rhythm in life, regardless of the obstacles you may encounter.

Hope by Terry Fox

Adhiya, Barbara. Hope by Terry Fox. 2024. 328p. ISBN 9781770416819.

For most Canadians, one of their best known fellow Canadian is Terry Fox, a young man who was struck with cancer in 1977 when he was 18, and who lost a leg in the process of attempting to save his life. Terry Fox lives in the imagination of the country as a symbol of resilience and courage. But who was Terry Fox, and what motivated him to raise funds for the fight against cancer by crossing the country from east to west and running a marathon every day with an artificial leg?

An athletic individual, Terry was light hearted and always saw the positive in people and events. A diagnosis of cancer did not change his outlook on life, and he refused to succumb to despair. After the shock of losing his leg, Terry relearned to walk. During these sessions, he started planning for a cross-country trip as a way to channel his energy and communicate with people why this was important. 

Starting in Newfoundland, Terry began his Marathon of Hope in relative obscurity, but as word spread out, and people became more aware, huge crowds lined the streets to see him go by. Millions of dollars were contributed for cancer research, and the news coverage reached every corner of the country. Through his unwavering determination to defeat cancer, Terry caught the hearts of Canadians, and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Canadians to live.

Though his cancer eventually forced him to stop short his cross-country race, Terry's efforts continued to live on in multiples of events every year, including races across the country and around the world, to raise more funds for cancer research, and to honor the memory of a great Canadian!

The Truth about PCP

Poolos, Christine. The Truth about PCP. Part of the Drugs & Consequences series. Available at 362.29 POO on the library shelves.

First developed in the first decades of the 20th century as an intravenous anesthetic designed to numb patients during surgeries, phencyclidine had such bad side effects that it was soon discontinued. Patients had reported severe hallucinatory and disorientating symptoms. Phencyclidine was then used on animals, with similar results. The drug was quickly finding itself out of markets when the youth counterculture adopted it in the 1960s. Easier and cheaper to manufacture than LSD, phencyclidine experienced a resurgence in tablet form known as the PeaCe Pill, soon abbreviated to PCP.

Never as popular as some of the other illegal drugs, PCP nevertheless still found a niche among people wanting to score a cheap high in the 1970s. Replaced by crack cocaine in the 1980s, PCP abuse diminished greatly until it went through a resurgence in the 2000s, when street gangs and organized crime began to manufacture and distribute it throughout the United States.

The same symptoms that banned PCP from the anesthetic market in the 1950s and 1960s continue to affect users, who can experience hallucinatory episodes, with possible seizures, organ failures, coma, severe psychotic breaks, and even extreme violence and death. Some PCP users do not feel pain and lose access to some of their more advanced processing skills, and therefore can perceived themselves as being superhuman. Dangers remain, however, and one can easily lose everything through a bad trip.

Perfect for a research project or to learn more about this drug, The Truth about PCP not only presents the history of the drug, but also discusses its social and health effects, as well as what treatment can be done to recover from PCP.

The Gross Science of Lice and Other Parasites

Olexa, Keith J. The Gross Science of Lice and Other Parasites. Part of the Way Gross Science series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-5081-8171-2. Available at 616.57 OLE on the library shelves.

We all have heard of parasites, bugs that live on or within another species and steal food and shelter while providing nothing back to the host in exchange. Parasites are the bane of human existence, but also affect other animals and plants. Highly evolved to benefit at the expense of another, parasites have successfully adapted several techniques to avoid being noticed.

Sometimes they can be very annoying, like lice. At other times, they can literally be deadly, like the fleas that spread the Black Death in the 1300s. Parasites have overthrown civilizations, and led to massive social upheavals in the past. They continue to play a role in human history today with the spread of pandemics.

Learn how to recognize infestations of these critters, how to avoid becoming their next victim, and how to treat yourself if you are unfortunate enough to become infected.

The Gross Science of Bad Smells

Mooney, Carla. The Gross Science of Bad Smells. Part of the Way Gross Science series. 2019. 48p. ISBN 978-1-5081-8165-1. Available at 612.88 MOO on the library shelves.

Of all the human senses, smell is the one that influences us the most. From disgusting smells that identify rotting foods, to the sweet smell of cinnamon, smells influence us in many ways. But what is the chemistry behind smells? Smells are molecules that are perceived by millions of olfactory receptors in the nose that immediately transmit this information to olfactory bulbs and thence to the brain itself. Unlike the other four senses, smell is transmitted directly to the brain from the olfactory bulbs, and the information is not mediated in the cortex beforehand. The human nose is able to distinguish over twenty thousands smells, but that is nothing compared to cats, who are an order of magnitude better, and dogs, whose nose is even more sensitive.

This book explains how chemical information is processed by our smell organs, and why some smells are more offensive than others. It describes two different smell processes, as well as diseases that affect one's sense of smell. Filled with informative texts and illustrations, this book is a wonderful guide to learn more about how our sense of smell works!

Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives

Perritano, John. Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives. Part of the Know Your Food series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-4222-3736-6. Available at 641.2 PER on the library shelves.

Most readers have fond memories of colorful breakfast cereal that would change the color of milk. Or of attractive shades of orange on chips and other finger foods. Even the inside of some bakery products are very visually appealing, with bright and vivid colors rarely seen in nature. Of course, these colors are additives, chemical elements that were manufactured by humans and then used in foods to alter a specific aspect, such as color, flavor, or length of time it can live on a shelf. Flavorings, colorings, and perservatives are thus a big business, and they are present in just about everything we eat.

The history behind these chemicals is a fascinating one, from humble developments by chemists searching ways to make food taste better and last longer to the public outcry that followed as some of these turned out to be unsafe for humans. The science behind flavorings, colorings and preservatives is explained, and its various uses are described. Learn about what makes the food you eat so colorful!

Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives

Perritano, John. Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives. Part of the Know Your Food series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-42223736-6. Available at 641.3 PER on the library shelves.

Food additives are some of the more pernicious ingredients we consume. Found in just about everything, additives fulfill the important role of preserving food so that it lasts longer. They also offer a variety of colors to be visually pleasing or distinctive, and affect the flavor of food. Many questions arise out of the overabundance of use of food additives. Are they safe for human consumption? How are they created? Why are they used?

This book describes how the history of food additives. It explains why they were created, how they were tested (if they even were), and how the ended up having a pervasive presence in our diet. There are ways to avoid some of these additives and maintain a healthy diet, but it's up to you to know what is good for your body and what isn't. 

Fans of good nutrition will appreciate the thoroughness and science presented in this book and will be better equipped to make decisions on what they eat.

The Gross Science of Bad Breath and Cavities

Shaw, Jessica. The Gross Science of Bad Breath and Cavities. Part of the Way Gross Science series. 2019. 48p. ISBN 978-1-50818162-0. Available at 616.31 SHA on the library shelves.

One of humanity's most insidious disease capable of crippling one's social life is halitosis, also known as bad breath. Caused by bacteria in the mouth, bad breath can be affected by medicine like mouthwash and changing one's eating habits, but cannot be cured. Bad breath is often linked to poor oral hygiene. Things like cavities can also affect bad breath. This short book explores the history of dentistry, from the Egyptians' use of fillings such as linen dipped in cedar oil to numb the pain, to the invention of the toothbrush in 15th century China when hog hair were embedded in a wooden handle. The appearance of the dental hygienist and new modern techniques to clean teeth much improved oral hygiene. The gross science behind cavities and bad breath is explored, and various myths are taken apart.

Fans of the weird and disgusting will love reading about the causes and treatment of cavities and bad breath, and will never look at their mouth's ecosystem in the same way!

The Gross Science of Sneezing, Coughing, and Vomiting

Gluckstern, Rachel. The Gross Science of Sneezing, Coughing, and Vomiting. Part of the Way Gross Science series. 2019. 48p. ISBN 978-1-5081-8174-3. Available at 612.2 GLU on the library shelves.

The human body is a marvelous machine, carefully balancing many functions at once to ensure that everything works normally. But there are times where things stop working so well, and suddenly the body is sick, or is out of balance. Three of the grossest bodily functions we frequently encounter are sneezing, couching, and especially vomiting. Though these are unpleasant to witness, and even more annoying to experience, they all have the important purpose to make us feel better.

Sneezing helps remove foreign particles from the airways, allowing more oxygen to flow to the lungs. Even on normal days, the body produces over a liter of snot a day, and sneezing helps dislodging snot and other foreign objects that have accumulated inside the body. Coughing serves a similar function, loosening the lungs and projecting matter out. Wet cough generally moves mucus out of the lungs, while a dry cough is often related to environmental causes such as a dusty environment or asthma. Finally, vomiting is the body's way of removing bad or spoiled food from the gastro-intestinal track, though it can sometimes be related to motion sickness.

While we all suffer from these and experience unpleasant sensations, the purpose of sneezing, couching, and vomiting is the same: forcing something inside the body out. Full of information about these three gross bodily functions as well as instructions on how to take care of one's body, this book is a wonderful guide to learn more about how our body works!

The Truth Behind Soft Drinks

Quinlan, Julia J. and Adam Furgang. The Truth Behind Soft Drinks. Part of the From Factory to Table: What You're Really Eating series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-47778992-6. Available at 663.62 QUI on the library shelves.

Over the last fifty years, soft drinks have evolved from an expensive treat seldom consumed to an ubiquitous beverage consumed by billions of people. Brand names like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have become part of the cultural lexicon everywhere. But soft drinks, which displaced healthier drinks like milk and water, have contributed to worldwide epidemic of obesity striking rich and poor countries alike.

This book reveals how soft drinks are made. Emphasis is placed on the fact that there are over ten teaspoons of sugar in every can of regular soft drinks, while diet drinks contain ingredients known to cause cancer. From acid to benzene, the list of ingredients contained in soft drinks represent a chemical nightmare, yet people continue to consume soft drinks. Health issues related to consuming soft drinks are explored, possible consequences are advanced.

A warned consumer is always better than someone who doesn't know. If you like soft drinks, read this book to know what it is you consume!

Other books in this series include:

• The Truth Behind Manufactured Foods
• The Truth Behind GMOs
• The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones
• The Truth Behind Snack Foods
• The Truth Behind Factory Foods

The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones

Smundak, Katharina. The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones. Part of the From Factory to Table: What You’re Really Eating series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-4994-3922-9. Available at 615.32 SMU on the library shelves.

Since the 1950s, the world’s food production has increased dramatically, outpacing the growth in total population and enabling billions of people to be fed. This increase is due in part to modern antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones, which have allowed faster growth in plants and animals alike. Unfortunately, these modern tools are also negatively influencing the environment, leading some to wonder whether we should continue to use them in our food supply.

Used to treat illnesses caused by bacteria, antibiotics were first developed to help humans, but quickly were adapted to treat animals. An over reliance on and over prescription of antibiotics has meant that there are now several bacteria which are resistant to treatment. This resistance threatens humans by removing one avenue of healing. Pesticides were developed to kill bugs and other pests that infect plants and animals, but their spreading ensure that they are present in the food chain through bigger animals eating smaller ones, and they end up in human diets Hormones occur naturally in the body, but can be manipulated to increase the growth rate. Traces of these hormones then transfer to humans through eating, and may lead to a decrease in the age at which puberty starts, especially for girls.

Anyone concerned about the food supply should read this book to discover how these aids to agriculture and food production are affecting not only what we eat, but our own bodies as well.

Other books in this series include:

• The Truth Behind Manufactured Foods
• The Truth Behind GMOs
• The Truth Behind Soft Drinks
• The Truth Behind Snack Foods
• The Truth Behind Factory Foods

The Truth Behind Factory Foods

Quinlan, Julia J. and Paula Johanson. The Truth Behind Factory Foods. Part of the From Factory to Table: What You’re Really Eating series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1-49943925-0. Available at 641.2 QUI on the library shelves.

Most of the food we now eat comes pre-packaged and is purchased at the grocery store, or is purchased in bulk and prepared at a fast-food restaurant. Packages and menus are well designed, pictures are attractive, and food names are descriptive. What we are eating, however, is not clear as even the nutritional label can be very confusing, with multiple ingredients sporting names like propylene glycol and silicon dioxide, whose functions and properties are unknown to the general public.

Such foods, which are cheap and easily accessed and consumed, are made by industrial conglomerates who make millions of portions using the cheapest ingredients they can find, and fill them with preservatives to keep them on shelves longer, and with chemicals to render them visually attractive as well as tasty. These processing foods are not as nutritious as homemade meals, and can contain high amounts of sugars and sodium, which in turn affects the health of those who consume them.

Providing a great overview of the processed food industry, this book clearly demonstrates that not all foods are created equal, and that those buying food must be aware of what they purchase both for health and for environmental reasons.

Other books in this series include:

• The Truth Behind Manufactured Foods
• The Truth Behind GMOs
• The Truth Behind Soft Drinks
• The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones
• The Truth Behind Snack Foods

The Truth Behind Manufactured Meats

Quinlan, Julia J. and Stephanie Watson. The Truth Behind Manufactured Meats. Part of the From Factory to Table: What You’re Really Eating series. 2018. 48p. ISBN 978-1499439328. Available at 641.3 QUI on the library shelves.

At some point in time, we’ve all heard the expression, “it’s like making sausage, you’re better off not knowing how it’s made.” Referring to the fact that most people would rather not know what is in the food they eat, this book explores the process of manufacturing meats for human consumption. Unlike a steak purchased at the grocery store, items such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and deli meats are all processed foods made from scraps and other fillers, along with sodium to enhance the taste, preservatives to ensure a long shelf life, and food coloring to make them more appetizing.

Though every food item sold in the grocery store contains a list of ingredients, most of us neither know what these ingredients are, nor what role they play in affecting human health. Ingredients such as nitrates, used to preserve food, have been linked to cancer. Food coloring is also linked to cancer. Sodium is linked to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Manufactured meats are engineered to be delicious and attractive to the eye, but they may not be the best and healthiest option available.

The Truth about Manufactured Meats informs the reader about what is in their plate, and encourages us to limit our consumption.

Other books in this series include:

• The Truth Behind Manufactured Foods
• The Truth Behind GMOs
• The Truth Behind Soft Drinks
• The Truth Behind Antibiotics, Pesticides, and Hormones
• The Truth Behind Snack Foods
• The Truth Behind Factory Foods