Book Review: Venom

Venom
By Marilyn Singer
Darby Creek Publishing
ISBN 9781581960433
$19.95
Grades 5-8
In Stores

*Recommended*

I can see the pitch for this book now…

(Author walks into a room. Sitting at a desk in a large leather office chair sits a skeptical publisher)

Publisher: An entire book about things that have venom? Sorry, but I don’t think you’ve got the makings of book here.

Author: There are more venomous animals than most people realize, I think.

Publisher: (Slightly Annoyed) Right, snakes. Look, we have enough snake books at the moment. If you don’t mind, I’m very busy now-

Author: Wait! There are more. There’s snakes, sure, but there’s also spiders and frogs and –

Publisher: Okay, so there are three animals. Still, it seems like a stretch.

Author: And bees, and salamanders, and –

Publisher: Hmm. I guess I never thought of those other ones.

Author: And ants, and scorpions, and –

Publisher: Alright! I was wrong. It seems that there are a ton of animals that kids find fascinating, that also happen to be deadly. You got me. Tell me more.

Author: Here’s what I’m thinking: tons of quality information, plenty of color photos of the venomous animals in action, and a healthy dollop of weird/crazy sidebar stories to grab readers’ attention. What do you think?

Publisher: Yes, Yes, it’s genius! Those pesky reluctant readers will love it for the exotic animals, exciting pictures, and crazy facts. Teachers will love it for the high quality information. I think that we’ve got a hit on our hands! A quality non-fiction selection if I’ve ever seen one.

Author: (Polishing fingernails on shirt) You’re welcome.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews