This was an amazing book. I would recommend it to any kid interested in science or medicine. It really gives a great view of germs and why it's important to wash our hands. To also read about what was making others sick was interesting, it made me more curious.

I received an ARC of “What's a Germ, Joseph Lister?: The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal” from NetGalley and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review. However, due to a severe reading lapse I wasn’t able to finish the book in time, so I purchased a Kindle copy in order to read and review this book.

I never knew my great-grandmother, Clara aka “Gibby.” She died just a year before I was born. But I’ll never forget what my momma told me about what she said about hospitals when she was growing up during the late 19th century: “People go to hospitals to die.”

Even during the later 1800s, there were a lot of unsanitary conditions not just in hospitals, but even during home births. Written by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Daniel Duncan, this MG book shows young readers both why and how.

The book begins with a story about an 11-year-old Scottish kid named James Greenlees whose fractured leg poked out through his skin. In 1865, this would have been a death sentence. Luckily, the child met Dr. Joseph Lister, a British surgeon.

Alexander then takes the reader on a journey, beginning with Lister’s early childhood and his fascination with science. She discussed his upbringing and how his desire to help heal sicknesses, illnesses, accidents, and diseases led him to uncover the role of germs in everyday life.

With nearly 50% of all surgery cases ending in death, Lister had a lot to worry about. But, relying on the scientific method, he was able to understand germ theory and inform others about it. The book also discusses how Lister stuttered and how he overcame this by focusing more on his desire to stop unnecessary deaths.

I love how Alexander and Duncan used bubbles throughout the book to include pertinent and interesting information throughout the book. This helped to break up the text and provided a unique opportunity for Alexander to help readers understand how truly great Lister was—both as a man and as a medical professional. Besides learning about Lister, readers are also introduced to many other great personages in medical/scientific history, including Nightingale, Pasteur, Koch, and Fleming, whose goals were similar to Lister’s in eradicating the dreaded “hospital disease.”

Duncan did a brilliant job of illustrating this book, and I love how he was able to incorporate a lot of ethnic diversity in his pictures. Known today as the Father of Modern Surgery, Joseph Lister was an incredible human being. However, Alexander made to sure to incorporate a discussion of women in her text, including the role of Lister’s wife, who became his laboratory assistant.

If there’s a young person who is interested in STEM, I absolutely recommend this book. With 14 chapters, photographs, beautifully illustrated pages, a timeline, glossary, bibliography, and notes, this book is an absolutely perfect way to introduce MG readers to the fascinating history of science.

This is a fabulous middle grade biography about Joseph Lister who worked in the medical field and discovered that germs were to blame for all of the "hospital diseases" that were killing patients after amputations. The information is written in a way that is very easy to understand and fully explains the background and contemporary culture surrounding the medical field and surgery. For example, in the mid-1800s, surgeons were seen as blue collar workers who were no better than butchers. Some of the first surgeons were actually barbers who were skilled in using instruments to cut hair.

This book offers a lot of insight. Highly recommend! I would suggest for 5th grade and up. There are some graphically illustrated amputated limbs and cadavers that may be too mature for younger readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

A great introduction to just WHY it is important to wash our hands!!!

A great mini-history of what hospitals and being ill used to be like and how the works of Joseph Lister changed all that and how his revelations saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

This book is not for the squeamish, but it IS a really good read, both for kids AND their parent's and will lead them to books like the excellent read "The Butchering Art:
Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine" by Lindsey Fitzharris [which will the lead the reader, should be they be so inclined, to books about how food, cosmetics and such were really poisons that the Royals and others used during these times as well] and a deeper dive into this world of finding and fighting both the germs that were killing people, but also the Doctors that fought against the treatments tooth and nail [you will just ROLL your eyes at their ridiculousness at the idea of having to wash the filth OFF their hands].

Filled with really good illustrations that will definitely add to the ick factor of the subject matter, this will be a read you will visit again and again as you learn more about just what was making people sick and the man who changed the whole world around all of that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lori Alexander, Daniel Duncan - Illustrator, and HarperCollins Children's Books/Clarion Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great information presented in a fun and engaging way. A perfect edition to an upper elementary classroom library

Wash your hands!!!!

In recent years, people of all ages cannot hear this enough. Is it redundant? Yes! Does it get annoying to hear? Yes! BUT "What's a Germ, Joseph Lister?" does a phenomenal job at explaining and illustrating the importance of a clean, sterile environment for medical procedure and washing your hands!

***Thank you NetGalley for proving me access to this preview. This review is based on an ARC. ***

I really enjoyed reading What’s a Germ and learning all about Joseph Lister. The book definitely kept me entertained! I love the illustration style as well, though some of the illustrations could be a bit gruesome for kids at the lower end of the intended age range.

🦠 Lister is considered the father of modern surgery. He discovered what caused infections and implemented changes to ensure safer surgical procedures and wound care. You wouldn’t think you’d have to tell a doctor to wash their hands or to clean instruments between procedures, would you? Or that you need to keep wounds clean? But in the 1800s, even trained doctors didn’t understand how germs were transmitted or that antiseptic procedures could save lives.

🦠 This biography talks about Lister’s life, his discoveries, and how he prevented countless deaths because of his discovery of germs. I particularly enjoyed that the story included information about his youth, his stuttering, and his inquisitive nature.

🦠 The illustrations are absolute perfection. They really support the story in an engaging way.

🦠 Trivia Time! In 1879 in St. Louis, Missouri, a man named Joseph Lawrence invented an antiseptic mouthwash and he named it Listerine® in honor of Joseph Lister.

🦠 This book ticks many boxes and would be appealing to any kid interested in science, germs, medicine, history, or even just biographies of famous historical people. It might also be inspirational to a child who stutters. I also think this book should be a middle grade classrooms and libraries everywhere!

Thank you @netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books/Clarion Books for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

There's a lot to love about this book. First off, I am a huge fan of the art style used to illustrate this. It has a watercolor feel to it and is just overall beautiful and adorable. I was really drawn into Joseph's story starting as a small boy being interested in the wonders of the world and then growing up to be a brilliant scientist. It's very satisfying to me, maybe because I also was interested in science as a little kid - but not in the numbers and figures way - but in the "what is that live thing and how does it live?". So it resonated with me. I know this book is for younger readers, but I'm 52 and I can't recommend it enough - I almost would like to get it in paperback just for the pictures and maybe a copy to give to the children of friends who I can see have that spark of interest in science. I just adored this book and I highly recommend it!