The Human Body (Ken Jennings’ Junior Genius Guides)

(Updated Note - this review is not related to the odd Trump-dump on Jennings that recently occurred.)I had high hopes for this book. I didn't mind the constant Ken Jennings self promotion that much. The "you are all junior genius versions of genius Ken" got old and was sort of patronizing. But I figured that once we got through all of that salesmanship and branding there would be a solid middle grade non-fiction book here. I was wrong.There is no particular organization to the material, except for a "First Period, Second Period, Recess" kind of structure. We start with DNA, which seems an odd choice, but even in that chapter, which swings between lame jokes and discussions of the adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine bases of the DNA double helix, we have one sentence describing cells, a few lines about twins, some weird stories about people who survived things like embedding a drill bit in their head, and then some Guinness record stuff. No effort is made to present a coherent story and no effort is made to put any particular factoid into context. And, most words aren't explained. If identical twins come from the same "zygote" you might want to mention what a "zygote" is. The illustrations don't help since most are too childish or cutesy to illustrate the point being made.The upshot is that this is mostly a jokey "Dummies" style book. There are many interesting one sentence facts; it's just that they're introduced almost randomly, with little context and with a heavy emphasis on coming up with puns. What you end up with is a sort of middle grade bathroom book. That's fine if that's what you want.(IMPORTANT UPDATE: I just finished reading and reviewing Outer Space (Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides) and not only is it good and what I'd hoped to find, it doesn't suffer from any of the weaknesses noted above. I guess the lesson is that the Jennings books vary considerably from book to book and you have to check each one out separately.)

"It's interesting," says the 12 year old boy. He reads more than the average kid, and this is totally different than his usual choices. I'm a huge Ken Jennings fan so this is totally biased but I hope my son will give some of the other titles a chance.

I bought this book for my three grandchildren age 8,10 and almost 12, after consulting with the oldest one. He found the reading very interesting and at times hilarious, loved it; he found some especially interesting information there to remember. He reads a lot in general, from nature to fiction so he is not 'behind' age-wise. It also requires the intended reader to go to a dictionary for meaning of some scientific expressions; these are certainly in place there in the book.When I read most of the little book, I found it rather advanced for an 8 year old; but then, it is meant for the 'junior geniuses', isn't it.

I love Ken's books. I've learned reading his books,even his children's book,Because I'm a adult not a child. Totally worth reading

Purchased this for my 23 year old friend who has autism. She sometimes has trouble making the right choices where health is concerned.I thought if she understood how the body works, it might help. The book appealed to her "age" and she "liked this chapter book"My 10 year old nephew has enjoyed the whole series of books. Thumbs up!

Ken Jennings' junior genius guides are packed with tons of interesting facts. I read this along with maps and geography, U.S. presidents, greek mythology, and ancient egypt.

All of the Junior Genius Guides that we have read so far have been wonderful. The books are full of facts that I didn't know as an adult, but presented in an entertaining manner kids can relate to (without being overly simple).This book appeals to a wide range of audiences. The nights we have a new Junior Genius Guide to read are the bedtimes / storytimes that I look forward to.

So fun and compelling! My 8-year-old who is a big fan of nonfiction just gobbled this up; I find it can be hard to find really cute and age-appropriate nonfiction like this for her.