Insect Superpowers: 18 Real Bugs That Smash, Zap, Hypnotize, Sting, and Devour! by Kate Messner (review)

Supersonic Assassin! The Decapitator! The Sonar Smasher! The False Flash! Entomology can match pro wrestling for hype, as demonstrated in Messner's comics-styled gallery of eighteen superpowered insect heroes. After an introduction to biological classification, the games begin, as each featured creature flaunts its strength, speed, cunning, or weaponry to survive in life's critter-eats-insect arena. For instance, Vespa mandarina, the Asian giant hornet (the Decapitator), rips apart an entire hive of honeybees—unless, of course, the advance scout is surrounded by a cluster of opponents who overheat it to death and foil the attack. Theretra nessus, the yam hawk moth (Sonar Smasher), bests predator bats with a defensive chirp that jams their echolocation system. While amazing and gross animal feats are staples of the 500s collection, Messner and Nickell's vivid, oversized sequential art and narration-box approach is pretty enthralling, while informational insets for each species join with eccentric historical asides to reach a broad audience. Middle-grade report writers might have to get on the hold list if browsers spot this first.