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

by Loree Griffin Burns (Author) Ellen Harasimowicz (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has made news across the United States. These beetles came to America from China, living in wood turned into shipping material. At first the beetles invaded urban areas, where hardwood trees were in limited supply--Chicago was able to declare itself ALB-free in 2006. But right now there is bad news in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Toronto--infestations have erupted in the area's hardwood forests, and these beetles, while bad at flying, are very good at killing trees.Clint McFarland's job? Stop the ALB at any cost. How do you balance the needs of residents, the impact to the environment, and an invasive species primed to wipe out entire forests? It takes the help of everyday people, such as children playing baseball at a playground, teams of beetle-sniffing dogs, and science-minded people (bug scientists and tree doctors) to eradicate this invasive pest.
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Publishers Weekly

With ostentatious striped antennae and an iridescent blue sheen, the Asian longhorned beetle is "a stunner," as Burns puts it. But looks can kill: the insect, introduced to the U.S. in recent decades, is massively destructive, chewing up many of America's hardwood forests. Photographs of the species, trees pockmarked by the beetle's "exit holes," maps, and details about scientists' efforts to remove infested trees create a narrative that unfolds like a detective story. In her third contribution to the Scientists in the Field series, Burns delivers a fascinating look at the origins of an invasive species and efforts to combat the damage it causes. Ages 10-14. (Oct.)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5-9--They arrived unseen, burrowed in wooden pallets, spools, and crates, aboard ships from China. The first group spotted in the United States, in Brooklyn, NY, was contained, and quickly taken care of, but since then infestations have been discovered from Massachusetts to Illinois, and as far north as Canada. They're Asian longhorned beetles, pests with "powerful jaws and a taste for wood" and the frightening potential to eat their way through North American forests. Griffin takes readers alongside a team of dedicated scientists and citizen volunteers working to eradicate this invasive species in a quarantined area in Worchester County, MA. Along the way, she explains how the creatures can go undetected for years (their life cycle begins inside trees, which keeps them heavily camouflaged) and offers information that early studies on the creature have yielded--not all of it hopeful. Abundant, close-up, color photos of the insect (from egg to pupa to mature adult), damaged trees, onsite workers, and informative labeled diagrams and maps help tell this disquieting story. Burns questions the approach of the scientists she followed and both admires and "trusts." But for her, the story is also personal. The author lives within the quarantined area in Massachusetts and has seen firsthand areas where swatches of infested (and other) trees have been cut down. Her questions about the method employed will leave readers asking some of their own--as they should. A timely, well-told story and a call to action.--Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

* "A splendid example of science controversy in everyday life."
—Kirkus, starred review

"Burns delivers a fascinating look at the origins of an invasive species and efforts to combat the damage it causes."
—Publishers Weekly

* "This fascinating, timely book might just change the way readers look at insects and trees for good."
—Booklist, starred review

"The subject and the youth of many of the participants give this title an immediacy unusual even in this excellent series, bridging the gap between scientist and reader in a way that invites kids into the process."
—Bulletin

"Clear photographs, charts, diagrams, and a straightforward text with appropriate scientific vocabulary outline the problem, from the beetle's invasion and difficult discovery to the trees' destruction and replanting."
—Horn Book Magazine

* "Abundant, close-up, color photos of the insect (from egg to pupa to mature adult), damaged trees, onsite workers, and informative labeled diagrams and maps help tell this disquieting story...A timely, well-told story and a call to action."
—School Library Journal, starred review
Loree Griffin Burns
Loree Griffin Burns is an award-winning writer who holds a PhD in biochemistry. Each of her books draws heavily on both her passion for nature and her experience as a working scientist. She is the author of Life on Surtsey: Iceland's Upstart Island, Citizen Scientist: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery in Your Own Back Yard, and Beetle Busters: A Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It.

Ellen Harasimowicz has been a professional photographer since 2003. She has made photographs for newspapers and schools, and she has illustrated four children's books, all with Loree Griffin Burns. Ellen loves to travel and photograph far-off places. www.ellenharasimowicz.com
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780547792675
Lexile Measure
1100
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
October 07, 2014
Series
Scientists in the Field
BISAC categories
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF003120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JNF037040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Trees & Forests
JNF051100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Environmental Science & Ecosystems
Library of Congress categories
Beetles
Asian longhorned beetle

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