Regan, Michael. Bad Days in Science and Invention.

Regan, Michael. Bad Days in Science and Invention. Capstone Publishers  2017  48p   $33.32  ISBN 978-1-4109-8563-7      ms  Nonfiction  E-BNS

What a brilliant idea for a series!  Capstone has a winner in this book that will be read by not only middle-school-aged students with pleasure, but also by an older audience with a bit of interest in the bizarre.  For example, in 210 BC, a Chinese emperor died young of mercury poisoning because he had hoped to find the formula to live forever.  Instead of finding eternal life, he was overdosed with mercury, which his doctors thought would prolong his life.  If the reader doesn’t think that one is bizarre enough, he/she can read about the bees brought from Africa that were supposed to solve Brazil’s bee problem. Instead, 26 queen bees escaped from their excluder, spread to North America, and wrought havoc by causing 40 human beings to die yearly.  Everyone knows how Alexander Fleming accidently discovered penicillin, but they might not know that ancient Egyptians used mold found on the outside of a loaf of bread to disinfect a cut!  And what a show there must have been in San Diego in 2012 when all 7000 fireworks were lit at once. Fact boxes appear throughout the volume and include items of interest such as these appear.  They add just a bit more to the text, which is already full of information about things that went wrong throughout history. With all of its bold colors and brilliantly displayed supporting photographs, as well as many other textual features, the layout is designed to keep the reader engaged.  The book ends with a few more facts listed as Fun Facts and a glossary of new vocabulary words.  Author Michael Regan has chosen the right variety of mishaps and errors to promote scientific research by his audience.  This is as good as it gets.  Students will be enthralled even if they are not young scientists . 

Whoops! A History of Bad Days is a series that includes books about bad days in battle, in exploration, in science and in sports.  Each volume offers many stories in keeping with the theme of things gone wrong.  Creative layouts, additional facts and stellar photographs and other visual aids support the text.  

Summary: Attempts at inventing sometimes do not produce the expected results.  Brilliant scientists’ ideas do not always deliver as promised.  Theories are tested only to take the theorist in a different direction.  What has resulted is often chaotic, often bizarre, and uniquely, often profitable for someone with greater vision than the inventor.  

Science, Invention                                                --Martha Squaresky