Invisible Invaders: Dangerous Infectious Diseases (Discovery!)

Grade 7 Up Infectious diseases, which have been around forever, are increasingly in the news as new illnesses and mutations make themselves known. With clear and clever headings (It's a Small World After All, Know Your 'Demics, Glow Germs) and brisk, intelligent writing that never patronizes, Goldsmith describes their history, epidemiology, biology, and modern ramifications. The book provides an overview of the current state of affairs, examines bacterial diseases, and discusses (and vividly illustrates) as much as or more than readers ever wanted to know about mosquito-borne and other carrier-borne viruses. The author also discusses parasitic infections, with their cycles illustrated on a spread, and prions, which are merely protein particles that somehow misfold and cause ghastly brain diseases. The final chapter looks at the eternal war on microbes and challenges for the future. This title is a thorough, understandable, and accessible source of current information and medical definitions, and a trail to further research. Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA
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Gr. 7-10. Educated in nursing and public health administration, Goldsmith does a fine job of presenting a subject that is constantly in the news: infectious disease. She offers clearly written, succinct discussions of viral diseases, such as Ebola, SARS, and influenza; bacterial infections, such as E. coli and tuberculosis; and parasitic and prion diseases, such as mad cow disease. Neither hyping nor minimizing the risks, she explains what causes these and other serious diseases, why they are on the rise, and how they may be prevented and treated. Excellent color illustrations, including many photos and diagrams, appear throughout the book. Readers interested in Lyme disease, for example, can see photos of the early symptoms on the skin, a chart of the black-legged tick's life cycle, and a labeled, cross-sectional drawing of a bacterium. A glossary, source notes, a selected bibliography, and lists of recommended books and Web sites round out this informative, readable entry in the Discovery! series. Carolyn Phelan
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