Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease (Need to Know Library)

Gr. 5-8. This entry in the Need to Know Library series has some problems. The text is sometimes repetitive, the editing is occasionally sloppy, and the information is periodically interrupted by fictional "firsthand" accounts of a child who contracts Lyme disease, which personalize the disease but are distracting. Despite the flaws, however, the book is packed with useful information, and color photographs spice up an otherwise dull format. Readers get a look at how doctors played detective to discover the disease, and there are color photos of the distinctive bull's-eye rash that usually announces the tick bite that causes the illness, as well as advice on how to avoid bites and what to do if bitten. There's also information on where the disease is most prevalent. A bibliography and Web sites are also a plus. Ilene Cooper
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