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How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

Review: How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

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How to Survive the End of the World
Katy Doughty
MITeen Press
Published March 31, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Survive the End of the World

“Brilliant; at once terrifying and fascinating.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In a full-color debut, a graphic novelist takes an engrossing, gleefully existential deep dive into the many ways that humanity could—and almost did—meet its end.

Since 99.9 percent of all species that have lived are extinct, it’s bound to be our turn eventually, right? So what’s most likely to kill us? A well-timed asteroid? Some new robot overlords? With wit and dry humor, debut graphic novelist Katy Doughty blends science and history to explore our chances of surviving disasters such as plagues, global warming, and alien invasion. Drawing on interviews with experts in fields like infectious diseases, AI, and interplanetary exploration, she combines cutting-edge research with compelling visuals: mugshots of the deadliest microbes, graphs of the winners and losers of mass extinction events, and a whole lot of dinosaur drawings. For apocalypse aficionados, the morbidly curious, and the just plain curious, this is your antidote to existential dread—a timely, imaginative, and ultimately hopeful take on humankind’s ability to survive the odds.

My Review

OMG, this was such a stressful book to read! Haha. I don’t think it was meant to be as stressful as it felt to me when I read it. There’s a lot of wry humor, which keeps things a bit light. Each chapter presents one possible doom humanity could face and then usually breaks down key information showing why that isn’t the doom we’re perched on the edge of right now. Some chapters highlighted historical moments when the inhabitants of Earth faced mass extinctions (such as the one that caused the dinosaurs’ extinction) or threats to humanity’s survival, such as the plague.

The graphic novel format made it very easy to read this book. There’s a good balance of words to pictures, though probably more words per page than fiction readers of this format are used to. The bright color palette also kept the tone a little brighter than the topic suggests.

I think readers who enjoy nonfiction or who have questions about humanity’s possible demise will find this book both informative and thought-provoking.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Reference to different spiritual beliefs about the end of the world.

Violent Content
Descriptions of various events that could cause the world and/or humanity to end.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Whale’s Song by Rossana Bossù

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The Whale’s Song: Discover the Giants of Our Oceans
Rossana Bossù
Post Wave
Published June 24, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Whale’s Song

Whales have fascinated us for centuries—award-winning artist Rossana Bossù brings these giant, awe-inspiring creatures to life.

Dive into the fascinating world of whales. Did you know that, when underwater, the heart of a blue whale can slow down to as little as two beats per minute? Or that a narwhal’s famous unicorn-like horn is actually a long canine tooth? Readers will also discover how these magnificent creatures play a vital role in keeping our oceans healthy.

From their enormous size to their complex behaviors, learn how these gentle giants live and thrive, and discover why they need our help now more than ever.

INSPIRATION TO TAKE ACTION: Perfect for sparking curiosity and a love for marine life, this book is a call to action to save these magnificent animals before they become legends.

ECO-THEMES: Kids will learn about the importance of animal conservation and environmental protection.

ENCOURAGES SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY: This exploration of whales will encourage an interest ocean creatures, big and small.

EXQUISITELY ILLUSTRATED: Gorgeous artwork introduces children to the incredible variety of these giants of the ocean, from toothed to baleen whales.

My Review

This is such a cool book. Every page has short blocks of text interspersed with fasincating illustrations. One spread, for example, talks about a whalefall (when a whale dies and its carcass sinks to the ocean floor) and the four phases of decomposition that happen and how that nourishes other animals and the environment. A diagram shows an example of each of the four phases. It’s not super specific, so it’s not gross. Think more of a cartoon-y illustration. This is not a science textbook– it’s a book you’d give to a kid who is in a marine mammal phase.

The book has so much information. None of it really goes into deep detail, but the text introduces a lot of interesting topics. For example, one spread shows the different kinds of orcas and details where they live and what they eat, showing how different the varied groups are. Even the endpapers have a purpose: the front endpages show line drawings of the different baleen whales and the back endpapers show the different kinds of toothed whales.

My older daughter did a report for school on whales in middle elementary school, and a book like this would have been absolutely perfect. Give this to the young whale enthusiast or animal lover in your life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Brief summaries of stories about whales in mythology, folklore, and spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Circle of life stuff– what animals eat and hunt. References to whaling industry. Whales dying or becoming beached on shore. Accidental injuries/illnesses to humans because they approached beached whales.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow by Kendall Kulper

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A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow
Kendall Kulper
Holiday House
Published November 4, 2025

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About A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow

A time-bending love story between a prickly young woman and a carefree stranger, who are tasked with saving the universe—after accidentally destroying it in the first place.

Genevieve Newhouse and Ash Hargreaves weren’t supposed to meet like this. Unless it was always meant to be . . .

Gen is a fastidious science prodigy with a chip on her shoulder, and she can turn herself invisible.

Happy-go-lucky Ash has just escaped a sheltered (read: cultish) childhood, and he can manipulate time.

The gifted eighteen-year-olds cross paths at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, where Genevieve’s experimental physics project causes an apocalyptic explosion. Ash tries to avert catastrophe by gallantly rewinding time a few minutes, but instead, he transports them back to 1893. The duo finds themselves trapped in an unfamiliar, unwelcoming era, with no idea how to return to their own time—or if their own time even exists. Their cataclysmic leap across decades might have destroyed the world as they know it . . .

Fate and free will intertwine in this page-turning historical romance that sets two irresistible strangers down a chaotic, potentially apocalyptic path. “Will they or won’t they” takes on a whole new meaning as Gen and Ash fight for survival while falling in love.

Hand to fans of Immortal Longings and Anatomy: A Love Story, and don’t miss companion novels Murder for the Modern Girl and A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

My Review

I read The Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper, which is about Genevieve’s sister Henny, two years ago, so I was excited to read this companion novel. The historical setting has the same noir feel as the other book, which I love. Most of the story takes place in Chicago in 1893, in and around the World’s Fair.

The chapters alternate from Genevieve and Ash’s perspectives, and I enjoyed both characters. I like that she is the scientist and he is the romantic, people-oriented person in the partnership. It would have been easy to write the characters the opposite way, and I like that Kulper challenged some gender expectations with these characters. Genevieve also finds a talented Black woman in 1893 who mentors her. That created some opportunities for the narrative to note the ways that misogyny didn’t only affect white women, but also women of color.

The pacing in the last quarter of the book felt so fast to me. I loved how quickly things unfolded, though I think I lost the thread of the character arcs for both Genevieve and Ash as they prepared for their big move to save the world and un-pretzel the timeline.

Despite that, I had a lot of fun reading this book. I didn’t realize that Genevieve and Henny’s older sister, Ruby, has her own novel: Murder for the Modern Girl. So I’m definitely adding that one to my reading list.

Definitely check out Kulper’s books if you enjoy a good historical novel with a bit of magical realism or fantasy elements.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 13 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have supernatural abilities, like traveling through time and turning invisible. At the beginning of the story, one character lives in a highly controlling religious cult community.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Two scenes include a person nearly falling to their death. Two scenes include someone nearly drowning. One person dies in the water. Someone collapses with some kind of apparent medical crisis. Reference to death in a fire (not shown on scene).

Misogynistic and racist characters restrict the ability of talented women and people of color to participate in the science field and/or receive credit for their work. References to the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 and the Indigenous people and people of color incarcerated at the fairgrounds as part of an exhibit. The narrative also acknowledges the fact that certain cultures and people groups were excluded from exhibits on progress and science.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels by Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , ,

Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels
Lindsey Fitzharris
Illustrated by Adrian Teal
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published October 14, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels

From New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris, a riveting middle grade nonfiction book about medicine’s most fascinating failures and dead ends.

Beheadings! Bloodletting! Bodysnatching!Journey down a snaking road bristling with medicine’s most astonishing “dead ends.” Marvel at the diagnoses, experiments, and treatments that were frequently useless, and often harmful, but that sometimes led doctors to discoveries that changed the world for the better.

Enjoy a whirlwind tour of the human body-from brain, to heart, to limbs-during which New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris and caricaturist Adrian Teal will guide you through centuries of medical mistakes, festooned with riveting facts, pitch-perfect humor, and vivid illustrations. Celebrate the flukes, flops, and failures that have given science a better understanding of our bodies and ways to treat them.

This fascinating book of foul-ups is sure to delight young readers, and inspire them to embrace their failures, too!

My Review

Squeamish readers will probably find this book gives too much information about icky medical mishaps, but those with a stronger stomach will find these facts fascinating. The book is broken up into sections containing stories about a particular body part or system, such as heart, lungs, etc. Each section is filled with wild stories about experiments that went wrong or accidents that led to new discoveries that ultimately paved the way for breakthroughs.

Readers might be familiar with some of the medical blunders, such as the practice of bleeding a patient to balance their humors. Others will probably be totally unknown, like early experiments in organ transplants.

The writing is energetic and fun, making this an easy read. It’s easy to see the author’s passion for these topics, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Give this to readers interested in medical history or with a passion for weird and wacky nonfiction.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Reference to medical experimentation without consent, especially on remains of executed criminals. Very brief, graphic descriptions of medical procedures, experiments or accidents.

Drug Content
List.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

MMGM Review: Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign by Sara F. Schacter

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Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign
Sara F. Schacter
Fitzroy Books
Published October 14, 2025

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About Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign

After years of moving, Georgia’ s family is staying put. What’ s the best part of her new forever home? Fellow science fan Izzy!

Georgia feels lucky to be starting sixth grade with her first true friend. But when Georgia’ s science project accidentally reveals a secret— one Izzy trusted her to keep— their friendship unravels. Even worse, Georgia’ s archenemy swoops in to steal Izzy away, leaving Georgia cut off and lonely. How can Georgia fix her mess?

She’s surprised to find the answer in a science genetically, all human beings are more than 99 percent the same. Really? Georgia can’ t believe she and the friend-stealer are even 1 percent the same! But as Georgia fights to win Izzy back, she discovers that enemies can struggle with loneliness too— and Georgia is stunned to discover why. It will take a 99 percent campaign to make things right.

My Review

The sticky note campaign in this book reminded me of a nonfiction title I read years ago called I Wish My Teacher Knew by Kyle Schwartz. The campaign in that book wasn’t the same, but the use of sticky notes is similar.

At its heart, this book is about a girl who’s struggling to find her place among her peers. She feels like she only has one friend, and thinks the relationship is threatened when someone else wants to be friends with her bestie. That problem feels pretty real for the age group.

In the story, Georgia also thinks about herself as a scientist, and thinks of that as being really different than both her parents. Her dad is an actor, and her mom is a baker. I like that the story kind of spun that idea around to show how important creativity is to the field of science. It helped Georgia see herself as a creative person, even though her creativity looks different than her parents’.

I also really liked the 99 Percent Campaign. When Georgia learns that humans have more than 99% of their genes in common, it changes how she thinks about her classmates. She begins identifying ways they’re similar rather than focusing on their differences.

I love that lesson, and it certainly resonates as an important reminder for today.

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy books by Gillian McDunn or Kate Messner. It would make a great class read-aloud or book to read with a small group. The group could then recreate the 99 Percent Campaign from the story and note the effects.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a crush.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Brief references to adults saying cruel, critical things to their kids. Georgia uses a photo editor to make an unflattering picture of her classmate. A group of boys picks on another boy.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.

MMGM Review: Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid

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Just Lizzie
Karen Wilfrid
Clarion Books
Published November 14, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Just Lizzie

A 2024 LAMBDA AWARD FINALIST

In this beautifully written contemporary middle grade debut, an eighth grader’s study of asexuality in science class leads her to understand her own asexual identity as she embarks on a journey toward self-discovery and self-advocacy. For readers of Alex Gino and Ashley Herring Blake.

“There’s the part of me that doesn’t understand kissing or cuteness or attraction, and then there’s the part of me that feels so lonely. How do I make sense of those two parts? Maybe I’ll never make sense of them.”

What do you do when there’s a question inside you that feels so big, you don’t know how to put words to it? How do you even begin to ask it?

Fourteen-year-old Lizzie is experiencing a lot of change: Her family had to move after the incident with their neighbor, leaving behind not only her beloved apple tree but what feels like her childhood along with it. Lizzie’s brother is too busy for her in his first semester of college, and her friends are more interested in dating than dolls. It’s hard not to feel left behind, especially as she tries to explain the fact that she still has zero interest in boys, girls, or the baffling behavior known as “flirting.”

But just as Lizzie’s world feels like it’s closing in, a class lesson on asexual reproduction in plants piques her curiosity, leading her to look up whether people can be asexual too—and suddenly her world opens up. Lizzie finally finds an identity, a word for all her messy, unnamable feelings that feels like it fits, although she quickly realizes that a label isn’t enough if no one believes it’s real.

Accessible, moving, and compassionate, Just Lizzie effortlessly braids a nuanced individual journey of identity with the bittersweet angst of growing up, growing apart, and learning there are many ways to live and love.

My Review

I have zero surprise that this book was nominated for awards.

This is one of those books that has so much going on in it, but it’s paced so perfectly that the story never feels cluttered or too busy. It never feels like a thread is dropped only to awkwardly reappear later.

At the start of the story, Lizzie is in the midst of a lot of changes. Her family recently moved from a house she loved because of an incident with a neighbor. This incident left Lizzie and her mom traumatized. Lizzie’s best friend has also just started dating a boy from school. Dating and attraction don’t make sense to Lizzie, so she struggles to respond to her friend’s relationship troubles and questions about who she likes.

One really cool part of the book is that Lizzie takes a self-defense class on Saturdays. In the class, she learns about fight, flight, and freeze responses. Learning to defend herself makes her feel more empowered. She also builds surprising connections with a couple of mentors through the class.

Adults in Lizzie’s life don’t always respond to her in the ways she expects. She faces disappointments, but she also has experiences where adults she thought would brush her off take time to see her. I loved that.

I don’t think I went into this book expecting it to be a favorite, but this is a story I’m going to hold onto for a long time. Just Lizzie perfectly captures that middle school experience where so many changes happen so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. I loved the ace representation. It’s an incredible book, and I hope that a lot more people discover and read it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very rarely.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing and feelings of attraction. Boys show each other diagrams of the human body from their science textbooks, giggling and trying to make people uncomfortable. Vague references to making out or touching. (Nothing is described in the scene.)

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A neighbor pushed Lizzie’s front door open after being asked to leave, scaring Lizzie and injuring her mom. Lizzie takes a self-defense class and practices defensive maneuvers. A boy at school repeatedly kicks Lizzie’s chair and, at one point, shoves her.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle.