Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2023 *Starred Review* Developing the theme that “microbes impact our lives and our world in big, beautiful, and sometimes creepy ways,” Spicer Rice explains the varied roles bacteria and other tiny guests play in digestion, decomposition, spreading or fighting diseases, and killing hosts or keeping them healthy. Readers who relish biology that veers into the “creepy” will be riveted by the all-too-detailed pictures of parasitic wasp larvae eating caterpillars and ladybugs from the inside out, microbes “living their best lives” on the butts of cats and the faces of dog owners, and the answer to what happens to untreated rabies victims. On more positive notes, she also describes how male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia germs will make infertile the eggs of uninfected malaria-carrying females with whom they mate. She also interviews several scientists, including an entomologist studying the way diseased monarch caterpillars can be cured by poop transplants from healthy ones (the technique’s potential for humans goes unmentioned) and a public health veterinarian who suggests that contact with pets can help human infants develop a resistance to allergies. The illustrations are limited to cartoon spot art, but the author closes with substantial source notes and suggestions for further study of this fascinating topic. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 11/17/2023 Gr 4 Up—Everything you ever did, and didn't, want to know about microbes! Broken down into four sections—house, yard, food, and you—this title explores the microbes that are living on us, in us, and all around us. Rice writes in a fun and humorous tone while discussing all the wonderful, and sometimes insidious, things microbes do. For example, a tiny wasp lays her eggs inside a ladybug and once it hatches, the baby wasp eats the inside of the ladybug and uses its shell to protect itself. Colorful cartoon illustrations are interspersed throughout the text alongside interviews with experts in various fields. Students will find this title engaging and easy to understand. While science can often be complicated, Rice expertly simplifies this topic for young readers. Bolded words are defined in the text and almost all microbe names have a phonetic spelling. Further reading and activities are included in the last chapter for students who want to know more information. A thorough bibliography is also included. VERDICT Fascinating. Recommended for all elementary and middle school collections.—Lisa Buffi - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.