World of the Weird - Tapa dura

A first-rate browsing item, from the bicycle-riding frog on the front cover to the recipe for chocolate-covered crickets at the end to entries designed for microscopic attention spans, Turner presents barrages of snippets on extreme sports ("chessboxing"), uncommon maladies ("exploding head syndrome"), oddball festivals, bizarre beliefs ("Eating stolen bacon is a cure for constipation." Do tell!), strange creatures real or otherwise, supernatural phenomena and, as they say, much, much more. It's not just straight reportage, either, as along with the chocolate snacks, the author tucks in directions for creating green ectoplasm, several magic tricks and other hands-on activities. Unusually for compendia of this ilk, she also includes a URL or other source on each single-topic spread. Illustrated with photos that are often startling but never gory or gross, this compact page-turner will light up the imaginations of motivated young readers and jaded nonreaders alike.-- (12/01/2009)

Facts can be as exciting--and as weird--as the wildest fantasy, and each double-page spread in this small title is packed with experiments and information about bizarre science, from meteorites and spontaneous combustion to clothes that make you invisible.... This [book] provides plenty of fodder for discussion, including the need to keep an open mind; and each spread includes a Web site, directing readers to more awe-inspiring science information.-- (12/01/2009)

This volume of trivia contains topics that children will find fascinating, disgusting, and, well, just plain weird. The information is presented in bite-sized chunks, just enough to peak the reader's interest and give them a little something to chew on. There are links throughout the book to related web sites for further exploration and the graphic content of the book is outstanding. Readers looking for something a little offbeat will find a trove of interesting tidbits in this book.-- (02/06/2010)

Explores the weirdness of real-life phenomena and mind-boggling scientific adventures--from giant gurgling worms to revolting experiments--and also offers some truly bizarre activities, such as bringing a dead plant back to life, growing a bacteria colony, making ectoplasm, and much more.