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The titular "deadly diseases" should draw young readers into this fabulously fascinating account of six of the world's most injurious plagues, and the bizarre treatments for the mysterious sicknesses will likely keep the audience utterly transfixed. Adult author Lindsey Fitzharris (The Facemaker) and cartoonist Adrian Teal join the children's book world with the savvy, intriguing Plague-Busters!, about medicine's ghastly and astounding past.
The middle-grade work explores the history of six diseases: bubonic plague, smallpox, rabies, tuberculosis, cholera, and scurvy. Each chapter focuses on one epidemic, offering riveting details and hilarious commentary about the outbreaks, researchers, and evolution of treatments. The authors open with a frightful story about the spread of bubonic plague: "Using gigantic wooden catapults, the [Mongolian] army begins flinging the diseased bodies of dead soldiers over the city walls to terrify and kill Caffa's citizens." Fitzharris's text goes on to describe the origins of terms like quarantine and vaccination and even how the British earned the nickname "limeys" (they used limes to ward off scurvy). Text boxes appear throughout the book sharing stories related to the diseases and each chapter concludes with a list of famous individuals who died--or are suspected of dying--from the malady.
Teal's stylized artwork--including many of his signature caricatures--is rendered in red, white, and black, and adds an additional humorous element to the work, softening some of the grotesqueness connected to deadly diseases. Plague-Busters! is chock full of awesomely appalling medical history that is sure to delight audiences, and possibly even spark interest for some future pathologists. --Jen Forbus, freelancer