• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7
• Reading age: 8 to 12

“Wherever you go, tiny hitchhikers tag along for the ride,” this intriguing illustrated nonfiction book begins. “The hitchhikers are actually microbes --- tiny living things so small that you need a microscope to see them. And every person carries around trillions and trillions of these critters.” Six of the most common “critters” that live in and on our bodies are introduced here: bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protists and mites. Each one has its own preferred environment, and readers will be startled (and likely a little grossed out!) by the many places they live, including the hair follicles on our faces, the folds of our tongues and the lengths of our guts. Just as surprising, only some of them are “bad guys” that cause disease, and many of them are actually “good guys” that keep us healthy. There's even research currently being done on ways to improve or fix our collection of microbes as a way to make us healthier.

Author Claire Eamer's clear, well-organized and accessible writing --- augmented throughout with fun facts and silly microbe jokes in sidebars --- keeps the book interesting and enjoyable. Marie-Ève Tremblay's bright and cheerfully funny illustrations bring the details to delightful life. With its cutting-edge information about a topic children will find fascinating, this book makes an excellent complement to a life science lesson on the human body. It would also work well for a class on healthy living. A table of contents, glossary and index are included.

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Claire Eamer was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She worked as a radio copywriter, a reporter for newspapers and radio, a trade book editor and a university instructor. Currently, she spends much of her time writing fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. After living in Whitehorse, Yukon, for many years, Claire now lives on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. She is fascinated by science and natural history, and by the habitats that surround her.

Claire Eamer's profile page

Marie-Ève Tremblay est une illustratrice qui habite à Montréal. Elle a illustré La vengeresse masquée et le loup ainsi que les albums tout carton de la série Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers.

Marie-Ève Tremblay is an illustrator living in Montreal, Quebec. Books she has illustrated include La vengeresse masquée et le Loup, as well as the interactive board books series Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers.

Marie-Ève Tremblay's profile page

• AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books - Middle Grade Category, AAAS and Subaru of America, Inc.
• Short-listed, Prairie Pasque Award, South Dakota Children's Book Awards
• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Short-listed, Lane Anderson Award, Fitzhenry Family Foundation
• Short-listed, Youth Book Award, Canadian Science Writers' Association

Microbiology might seem like a complex subject to broach with middle-graders, but in her new book, Claire Eamer succeeds in explaining the basics in terms that kids will understand.—Quill & Quire

An excellent example of engaging science writing, this title would be a useful mentor text for young science writers and a fine addition to science programs dealing with the topic of the human body.—School Library Journal - starred review

Microbiology is an unlikely topic for a younger reader, however, this book describes in detail, and with much humour, the many microbes that live in, on and around us every day.—Resource Links

Solid information presented in a sprightly manner that's sure to appeal.—Kirkus Reviews

The information presented is scientific, intensely personal, and fun to know.—School Library Connection

... this book has an agenda that's easy to get behind.—Montreal Review of Books

... children will pore over it with fascination, no doubt exclaiming, “Ooh, gross!” at frequent intervals!—Canadian Children's Book News