Oxlade, Chris and Wallace, Holly. Can Science Solve the Mystery of Vampires and Werewolves? Oxford : Heinemann Library, 2003.
Plot: Myths of monsters cover the globe. However, two particular monsters, vampires and werewolves, seem especially prominent, particularly in North America and Europe. The novel examines the myths and attempts to use science to explain how such myths arose and continue to persist. Details of the original monsters as well as the modern-day movie creatures enjoy simple but thorough descriptions. Variations of the creatures, such as bear-men and tiger-men, find mention in the text as well. Also, a few theories of the the actual cause of the creatures find there way into the book.
Genre: Science, Monsters
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Similar Titles: Can Science Solve the Mystery series, X Science: The Loch Ness Monster
Personal Thoughts: While the pretext of the books is a worthy one, the authors could create a better text. The majority of the book discusses the myths and pseudo-science explanations for the two monsters. Actual scientific theory only enjoys two pages per monster. As such, the focus of the book seems skewed in a non-scientific direction, despite the assertions of the title and description of the text.
No comments:
Post a Comment