Starred ReviewStarred Review Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom
Life in the Dead Zone
After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion in Ukraine, scientists believed radiation had created a vast and barren wasteland in which life could never resurface. But the Dead Zone, as the contaminated area is known, doesn’t look dead at all. In fact, wildlife seems to be thriving there. The Zone is home to beetles, swallows, catfish, mice, voles, otters, beavers, wild boar, foxes, lynx, deer, moose—even brown bears and wolves. Yet the animals in the Zone are not quite what you’d expect. Every single one of them is radioactive.
In Chernobyl’s Wild Kingdom, you’ll meet the international scientists investigating the Zone’s wildlife and trying to answer difficult questions: Have some animals adapted to living with radiation? Or is the radioactive environment harming them in ways we can’t see or that will only show up in future generations? Learn more about the fascinating ongoing research—and the debates that surround the findings—in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
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978-1-4677-1154-8
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$25.99 | |
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978-1-4677-4791-2
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$38.99 |
Awards
- Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Master List
- South Carolina Book Award Nominee
- Notable AwardNotable Award VOYA's Perfect Tens List
Reviews
School Library Connection
“The Chernobyl disaster occurred over 25 years ago, and to today’s students, that’s ancient history! . . . Johnson does a thorough job recounting the events, and . . . [t]he reader is provided with plenty of information, pictures, notes, and more to further extend their study of nuclear power.”—School Library Connection
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“A narrowly focused topic, clear presentation, and light page count make this an easy pick for academic strugglers faced with a research assignment, but any readers with an interest in endangered animals—not to mention human-generated and nature disasters—will be drawn to this title as well.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
School Library Journal
“Thought-provoking.” —School Library Journal
Starred ReviewStarred Review VOYA
“Johnson paints a picture so vivid, readers will probably light up a Geiger counter after reading it. . . . [A]n informative, unsettling reference that captures the fallibility of humanity and the resilience of life.”—starred, VOYA
Booklist
“Creepy shots of ghost towns and tumor-ridden animals help make this a high-interest look at a low point in world events.” —Booklist
Starred ReviewStarred Review Kirkus Reviews
“The appropriate background and clear, easy-to-understand explanations make this one-of-a-kind title both accessible and interesting. An important story clearly and engagingly told by an experienced science writer.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews