Agnieszka Biskup is a writer and editor based in Chicago. She is a former science editor at the Boston Globe as well as a Knight Fellow at MIT, where she studied science journalism. She served as managing editor of the children's magazine Muse and has written numerous children's books in addition to many articles for newspapers, magazines, and websites. Her books have received awards from Learning magazine, the Association of Educational Publishers, the Society of School Librarians International, and have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. She is also a winner of the 2015 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award in the Writing for Children category.
Most people would consider vampires and the study of life and
living organisms to be strange bedfellows, but that's really the
whole idea behind this first book in a new series of graphic novels
that use the intrigue and allure of the supernatural to introduce
basic elements of science to young readers. However, don't be
fooled by the silly concept - the vampire character and his undead
limitations provide comic relief, but this book contains a wealth
of information about cells, including how the cell was discovered,
the basic principles of cell theory, how cells work together, the
two main groups of cells (eukaryotic and prokaryotic), the types
and parts of a cell, how cells work inside the body and within a
plant, and how cells reproduce. This book is a great fit for
introductory science courses, but it will also be a solid addition
to any school library.-- "Library Media Connection, "Getting
Graphic: Curriculum Connections: Science and"
Getting teenagers and children to read non-fiction proves to be
harder and harder, books that just lists up pure facts and tosses
them into the face of the reader makes non-fiction books long and
boring. "Vampires and cells" makes the reader give the book some
extra attention, in between small fun settings facts are provided
to the reader. This way Biskup manages to keep the reader focused
and entertained through the entire book, which makes it easier for
the reader to absorb the information provided. In the end of the
book there is a list containing the technical terms used in the
book and you find them explained in a simple and understandable
way. This way you don't have to re-read the book to find one
specific term, you can simply find them explained in the index
furthers back in the book. The illustrations are simple and
entertaining, there's not too much but enough to keep a young teens
attention. There is only one thing I find negative about this book
that's the fact that it at some points get a bit too childish, so
the young teens who wants to be "oh-so-cool" might want to put it
down. But for my eight year old cousin it seemed to be perfect, but
he was a little too much in on the vampire-thing to really consume
any of the information. http:
//www.thelonelybookclub.com/reviews/agnieszka-biskup/vampires-and-cells/--
"The Lonely Book Club blog"
I received Vampires and Cells from Capstone publishers on NetGalley
and was excited to read something pertaining to my field of study.
It seems that the recent trend in literature is everything
vampires, especially for the preteen through college crowd; and
this trend is beginning to stretch to younger readers. That is why
this book appealed to me, it makes reading about something
scientific much more enjoyable for kids that would rather be
reading about cops and monsters. This book was smart, well written
and illustrated, and very entertaining, (especially the vampire's
comments and the depictions of Hooke and Leeuwenhoek). Being a
student of microbiology I thoroughly enjoyed what it had to offer,
and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get their kids
interested in science. I rate Vampires and Cells by Agnieszka
Jòzefina Biskup 5/5 stars. http:
//thepaperbackpursuer.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-20-vampires-and-cells-by.html--
"The Paperback Pursuer blog"
Okay, let me say up front I really like vampires. Even if, lately,
I've developed a keen fondness for Zombies, I still have an
undeniable soft spot for a rakish vampire or two (a la Anne
Rice-sorry Twilight fans). I also should mention that I really like
anything educational for children that makes it fun for them. So,
when I saw that there was a vampire all poised and ready to explain
the basics of life/biology well, the pun was not lost on me. It's a
clever and cute way to teach kids a little bit of how the world
functions in an engaging and easily accessible format. I stand by
that assessment and I wholeheartedly love that there are authors
out there interested and willing to put out this sort of material.
However, this reviewer, does almost all her reading on a Kindle and
unfortunately this book did not fair well in the translation. I do
believe that as a physical book it is probably wonderful. http:
//mharvireads.blogspot.com/2011/07/vampires-and-cells-by-agnieszka-biskup.html--
"Mharvi Reads blog"
The book is written at a low reading level (3-4) but information
wise it is detailed enough to be useful up to Grade 9.-- "Back to
Books blog"
The descriptions combine technical words with plain english
explanations making it more universal than many other similar
works.-- "Reading All Year Long blog"
This book is very clever and will keep the reader's attention while
giving snippets of good information. The drawings are fun and the
facts are ....facts. Anything that can draw children in while
getting them to engage in science is worth a second look.
Definitely not your everyday boring science book. This is one that
will appeal to reluctant readers. Good Job. http:
//www.goodreads.com/review/show/186459062-- "GoodReads.com"
This is a new series by the publisher combining monsters and
science. This book explains in detail the science of cells. The
narrative is written in blocks of text while the pictures and comic
balloons add humour to the information. The book is written at a
low reading level (3-4) but information wise it is detailed enough
to be useful up to Grade 9. In fact, I think the text may be a
little dry for the younger age range of students unless they are
already interested in the topic or studying it. I enjoyed the other
book in this series I read better, Aliens and Energy, as it
portrayed the aliens as the goofy instructors. This book comes off
as having an unknown instructor speaking to us while a dimwitted
vampire is in the background asking questions and making comic
remarks. The illustrations are also not up to par with those by Aon
in the other book. However, it accomplishes what it aims to do;
introducing the science of cells with humour and would make a good
addition to a classroom library.-- "Back to Books blog"
This wacky new series of graphic novels is geared to reluctant
readers; it uses graphic books to teach science content like
energy, cells, adaptation, matter, force, and motion. The
information and graphics will keep readers engaged, and the word
bubbles, sized panels, and layouts are easy to follow. The
illustrations provide good content, making it easier for Second
Language learners. The series will make a good addition to your
collection, as well as providing good sources for research
activities in science. Recommended.-- "Library Media
Connection"
This was just too cute! I've taught some lower level 7th graders
that this would be wonderful for. I'm sure it is ment to be an
elementary book, but could be adapted to any age child who is
interested. Vampires and Cells discusses cell makeup and division.
This is a basic concept covered multiple times throughout life
sciences classes. The set up is much like a comic book and has
wonderful color to attract most kids eyes. My two loved it and they
are in 2nd and 3rd grade. I really enjoyed this and will be using
it in my classroom for the lower level readers. http:
//www.goodreads.com/review/show/199010199-- "GoodReads.com"
Vampires and Cells is a wonderfully illustrated graphic non-fiction
book about cells, with vampires adding humorous commentary. The
information presented about science is nicely paced, and the
accompanying art is fantastic. Since the reader needs to read the
science material in order to understand most of the commentary from
the vampires, there is little concern that the meat of the text
will be skimmed over. The comic action, for the most part,
reinforces the science text, and both should work together to help
the child absorb and retain the material. Suitable for ages 8 to
12, and great for reluctant readers, this, and the rest of the
Monster Science series, should be a welcome addition to any Middle
School Library. http:
//publishingcentral.com/blog/publishing/review-vampires-and-cells--
"PublishingCentral.com"
Vampires and Cells isn't your typical science book. Its a fun book
to read as it combines a science text book and a comic. The artwork
by Jok is outstanding, if I had pictures to show you I would. I
found Vampires and Cells to be very funny and really should be in
every school on the planet, I would have paid more attention in my
Science class if we had this book. As the synopsis states it is
part of a series, and if the rest of the series are as good as
this, then these books should do well. Overall Vampires and Cells
is a very entertaining science book. http:
//worldofbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-vampires-and-cells-by-agnieszka.html--
"World of Book Reviews blog"
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