Planet Earth News Presents: Super Humans.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

Like a tabloid newspaper, Planet Earth News Presents: Super Humans is chock full of incredible but true, and some not so true, articles, facts, and figures pertaining to human beings. Some will amaze you; others, like the toad-vomiting woman, will undoubtedly gross you out!

The book is divided into eight chapters dealing with such diverse topics as evolution, inventions, and extraterrestrial life. In “Fashion, Fads and the Naked Ape” we read about self-cleaning clothes, talking handbags, hairstyles through the ages, and pet rocks. And did you know that the tiny shipworm that destroyed many an old-time ship by boring thought the wooden hull was, in fact, the inspiration for the machines used in building tunnels today? “The Ultimate Copycats” talks about that and other inventions such as Velcro, non-skid deck shoes, and mine-searching undersea robots.

The text is divided into short, readable sections with headings printed in funky types. “Hoax Busters” quizzes (answers on page 63), “Fiction vs. Reality” sidebars, “Exposed” factoids, “Tales That Got Us,” and “Strange But True” boxes containing trivia add interest throughout. Accompanying all this are Greg Hall’s eye-catching and humorous illustrations.

Preteen and early teen readers accustomed to the sensational and extraordinary stories that routinely highlight the day’s news will find this book highly appealing. Lively and informative, it will provide hours of enjoyment. Recommended.