Author & Illustrators
Packed with tales as old as time, unsolved mysteries and stories stranger than fiction, this introduction to urban myths contains super-succinct summaries of different urban legends and folk tales, grouped roughly by period and then theme. The range is global, which enables themes to be compared and cross-referenced across time and cultures. While many of the tales were familiar to me, many others were not. I found myself fascinated by how similar legends spring up in completely different places, responding to shared human concerns. Each story summary is followed by a very brief and measured discussion of context, plausibility and origin. This allows the authors to point out links between story traditions, identify nuggets of truth and expose wild embellishments.
Very often, the authors’ analyses pinpoint where the legends began and suggest why they were believed and passed on. This is a real strength of the book. It mitigates the horror of some of the creepier tales and provides useful warnings against disinformation – a crucial theme for today’s teens living in a world of fake news and viral story snippets.
It will appeal to KS3 students who are still building up their reading stamina, as well as lovers of the bizarre and macabre. It is broken into short sections, illustrated with contemporary, age-appropriate graphics. This structure makes it easy to dip in and out, but beware: it’s hard to put down!
Beginning with an introduction from the author, Dr Shini Somara, she explains how she was inspired to become an engineer and wants to inspire others to do the same. The information on types of engineers and how to become an engineer is really interesting – I didn’t realise how many types of engineers there were!
The book is then split into different sections depending on the purpose of the engineering. Everything from human needs to communication and entertainment is covered. Within the sections, we meet several engineers and find out all about why and how they became engineers, as well as what they have achieved. There are photos of the engineers as well as diagrams and illustrations to help you understand their inventions and work. There are also QR codes linking to YouTube videos for some of the engineers, and a comprehensive teacher guide available to download.
After learning about the 46 engineers, there is an illustrated timeline of engineering and a useful glossary of terms used in the book. I think this is an unusual and informative book suitable for UKS2 children and older, although extracts from the book could be used with younger children if supported. I will be using this book with my Y6 class to support our learning about climate change, as well as many other things, I’m sure!
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments
