A deadly mystery virus sweeps through the continent of Africa, killing hundreds and sickening even more. The book Deadly Invaders was an informative, intriguing book. I thought that Denise Grady did an excellent job of weaving in her story with lots of information. This book, told in the point of view of a reporter, describes in great detail many of the major disease outbreaks known in the world.

 

Denise Grady incorporated her story as a reporter with an abundance of information on seven major viruses. She divided the book in a very clear way by first explaining her experience with diseases. In the second section, she explained the statistics on each of the diseases that she chose to write about. I could see the extent of research that the author put into her book because she also had excellent photos on almost every page. The photos helped me to visualize the story and make it more interesting.

 

The book kept me interested and also challenged me. I think that the reading was at about a 7th grade level. The author also included related writings and an index in the back of the book. I did find one flaw in this otherwise excellent book. The author took an evolutionary perspective and portrayed it as a fact. On page 14 it said "Viruses have been around for millions of years..." I see evolution as only a theory, which it is, and I did not think that it was good or necessary to present information from an evolutionary perspective.

 

This book was certainly an enjoyable read, with lots of information, interesting photos, and an insightful story to go along with it. I think that if anyone was looking for a challenging, informative book about real-life issues, I would certainly recommend this book to them. I would rate this book five out of five stars, and it should definitely be a Cornerstones nominee.