Beetle Busters: A Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It (Scientists in the Field)

We have a bunch of the Scientist in the Field books. They are consistently well written and have great pictures. Approved by my six and nine year olds.

Two disclaimers:(1) I know Loree Griffin Burns as a fellow children's science writer and consider her a friend.(2) She sent me this book gratis because it was unavailable at a National Science Teachers Association conference where my son had instructions to buy it for me. I'm hoping she will accept one of my books in return (perhaps the newly revised Dr. Fred's Weather Watch for a family project).That said, Beetle Busters is completely worthy of this 5-star rating. It displays Loree's thorough research and excellence in story-telling. What I found particularly intriguing was the mixed feelings that come from cutting down a stand of trees (or trees in a neighborhood), most of which are perfectly healthy, to prevent an infestation of Asian Longhorn Beetles from taking hold. Her Author's Note illuminates that feeling. It also tells how she almost didn't write the book, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it was happening in her own neighborhood.Readers will be grateful she decided to take the project on. This book has many compelling threads, from the way citizens can do science to how invasive species can take hold and transform an ecosystem. Teaming up with Ellen Harasimowicz and the Scientists in the Field editors, Loree Griffin Burns has delivered another educational and fascinating book destined to win awards, as some of her previous titles have done.

With Beetle Busters, Loree Burns adds another outstanding science book to her growing list of stellar titles. At first, I was charmed by the cover image of the Asian long horned beetle (ALB). It’s almost—endearing. But the warm, fuzzy feeling soon gave way to heartbreak as I read of the terrible threat they pose to many species of trees in the forests of the eastern United States. Burns details the work of scientists seeking to stop the beetles’ spread. Unfortunately, the solution may mean cutting down and chipping tens of thousands of trees, or even more. The reader wrestles with the question Would I sacrifice the trees in my city, to keep the ALB from spreading into nearby forests, where it could cause widespread devastation? How the beetle arrived in the U.S.A., canvassing neighborhoods to identify infected trees, the ALB’s life cycle, and how scientists are combatting this major ecological threat are among the topics covered. Beetle Busters is a don’t-miss book for young people interested in biological and environmental sciences. And if you love trees, you’ll want to become informed about Asian long horned beetles.

BEETLE BUSTERS is the compelling story of an unfolding environmental threat. The author explains how an invasive longhorn beetle is destroying trees. The link between decisions made in faraway China and the consequences for suburban neighborhoods in the U.S. is an eye-opening example of how interconnected our world is, and the consequences for the environment. I particularly liked the way Loree Burns doesn't give any pat solution to threat posed by the beetle, and instead shows just how difficult it is to fight an invasive species without altering the very landscape one is trying to protect. An excellent, nuanced work of nonfiction.