The Brain

October 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-Fahama, who wears a headscarf, agrees to help her sister, Nour, sell cookies and winds up learning all about the brain when she is taken hostage after knocking on the door of mad scientist Dr. Cerebrum and his zombie butler. Prior to executing his plan to extract Fahama's brain for science, Dr. Cerebrum gives her a short history of the early days of brain science and how the human brain evolved into the complex organ that it is today. Dr. Cerebrum explains neurons and glial cells, how the different parts of the brain function, and how our senses work in relation to the brain-specifically how the brain receives, organizes, and interprets sensory stimuli. Fahama also learns about language, memory, and the many types of intelligence. Colorful illustrations illuminate the text. The combination of an entertaining story line (note: Fahama does escape), engaging and clear language, and bold, crisp panels makes for a highly effective introduction to the workings of the human brain. VERDICT A strong complementary text for science classes focusing on neuroscience.-Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* While out selling scout cookies, Fahama gets abducted by an evil scientist who wants to dissect her brain! Luckily, Dr. Cerebrum is easily distracted and spends most of the time teaching Fahama (and us) all about her brain before he can get a chance to remove it. The text is a little more hefty than previous installments in the Science Comics series, which is understandable, given the amount of information discussed?nearly everything in the brain and nervous system, even the five senses and how they relate to the brain, is touched on. Woollcott combats these new definitions and concepts with plenty of puns and story breaks featuring Fahama's irrepressible sister, Nour, who's out looking for her. Nour, who delivers such hilarious lines as, this cookie tastes of burning and lies, will definitely keep readers plugging away through the more challenging passages. Graudins does an equally great job of breaking down high-level concepts and making them easily accessible to the upper elementary crowd, with clearly drawn diagrams and illustrations of brain mechanics. Much like the accompanying text, Graudins' cartoons help break down the academic concepts without being patronizing and, happily, while making learning fun. A particularly well-executed and thought-provoking installment in this reliable nonfiction series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2018
When Fahama is kidnapped, she must figure out how to stop an evil brain from harvesting her own.Fahama, a brown-skinned hijabi, agrees to help her little sister, Nour, sell her Woodland Adventure cookies door to door, but at the first house she approaches, she falls through a trap door in the porch. A butler who looks like Frankenstein's monster assists Dr. Cerebrum, a brain encased in glass with robotic arms and legs, who plans to remove Fahama's brain for science. When he finishes explaining his aim, Fahama asks more questions to keep him talking instead of sawing. He covers ancient cultures' beliefs about the brain and evolution, but things get complicated quickly with the structure of different kinds of cells, how neurons work, oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. He explains the nervous system in a fairly straightforward way, offers charts to locate the areas of the brain that control certain functions, and discusses reflexes, memory, and senses in detail. Meanwhile, Nour figures out that her sister has been kidnapped and hatches a plan to save her. The paneled illustrations serve the material best when offering examples; the combination of information overload and visual crowding on the page makes the material explored seem even more intimidating than it already is. With complex sentences, no pronunciation guides, and not much story to carry readers forward, this book asks a lot of young readers.For precocious children fascinated by science. (glossary) (Graphic nonfiction. 10-12)

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