    | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2017 Gr 4–7—The authors have essentially created a kid's version of the popular NPR program Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me (in which adults compete to determine which news story is false); however, in this case, the emphasis is on science rather than current events. There are nine chapters in total, each devoted to quirky stories related to a different topic (e.g., plants, animals, humans). Each chapter contains three tales: two true and one false. Readers are instructed to use their research skills in order to differentiate between fact and fiction, and to that end a "Research Guide" is included, offering tips such as how to evaluate Internet sources for authority, accuracy, and reliability. An "Answer Guide" explains which of the three stories in each chapter is false and why, and an extensive bibliography cites sources. Kid-friendly text and colorful sidebars and images combine to create an overall attention-grabbing effect. VERDICT Providing a framework from which to develop the tools necessary to think critically about information, this title is a fun and potentially useful curricular tool for teachers and librarians, as well as an entertaining read for tween science fans.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/01/2017 *Starred Review* Considering the fresh attention being paid to teaching a skeptical approach to information evaluation, this series opener couldn’t be better timed. Inspired by a parlor game, the authors mix two facts about an aspect of the natural world (plants, animals, and even humans) with one untruth, and invite readers to pick out the bogus entry from each trio. Which is fake: human head transplants, fecal transplantation, or pee-powered fuel cells? A dinosaur dubbed Bambiraptor, an 82-foot “megaconda,” or oceanic siphonophores (“living snot”) longer than blue whales? Well, readers will have to check the book to know for sure. Each entry includes specific (or at least plausible) scientific details, names of actual researchers, and, along with colorful graphic images, often even photographs (doctored or otherwise). Each group of three also features sidebar definitions, projects to try, or thorny scientific issues to ponder, and a secondary list of hard-to-credit facts, body parts, medical procedures, or other items—each with an embedded ringer. Readers can check their guesses at the back, where generous source notes for all the nonspurious content offered leads to further study. A brief but savvy guide to responsible research methods adds further luster to this crowd-pleaser. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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