“What if the terrifying creatures of your nightmares were indeed prowling the big, wide world beyond your blankie?” begins the intriguing premise of this book. “Could they really exist? And if so, how?” In a completely original approach to exploring science, award-winning author Helaine Becker places six different kinds of monsters — Frankenstein, vampires, bigfoot, zombies, werewolves and sea monsters — under her microscope to expose the proven scientific principles behind the legends. For example, the chapter on Frankenstein delves into how electricity and organ transplants work in the human body, and whether they could really bring someone back to life — all presented in short, readable sections. There’s also historical background on each monster, as well as trivia and jokes in sidebars, and fun quizzes at the end of every chapter for readers to test their knowledge. Becker uses the never-ending appetite for all things monster to engage the imaginations of children and get them excited about science. The just-ghoulish-and-icky-enough illustrations by Phil McAndrew are pitch-perfect, drenched with child-friendly humor. This is a book with tremendous cross-curricular applications in life, earth and physical sciences, as well as in literature (myths and legends), history and literacy skills. With its playful spirit, this is also a book children will happily pick up and devour on their own.