Extreme Abilities

March 1, 2019

Gr 4-7-This slim volume delves into nine types of extreme human abilities of the body and mind. Exploring everything from ultra strength to photographic memories, from balancing acts to meditation, each chapter takes a look at a different ability. The first few pages of the chapter share the experiences of people who have possessed this extreme ability throughout history, and the second part of the chapter explains the science and biology behind the ability as well as suggestions for young readers who want to improve themselves in this area. The author also includes safety warnings and guidelines along with recommendations to prevent students from harming themselves trying to replicate these extreme feats. This will make a great read for young readers who pore over Guiness World Record books and want more background on the records and feats found there. The text is accompanied by full-color illustrations and plenty of fascinating sidebars. VERDICT A popular choice for libraries serving older elementary or middle school students.-Allison McLean, Elkhart Public Library, IN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2019
Imagine being able to walk across Niagara Falls on a wire or to lift a wooden platform that's holding 18 large men.Extreme human abilities appear to come from a combination of innate body differences and sheer determination and training. Watson discusses nine different types of extreme abilities: strength, flexibility, memory, endurance, meditation, underwater breath-holding, speed, mental math, and balance. Each chapter introduces one or more highly talented people, describes their backgrounds, and offers sidebar explanations with some basic anatomy and physiology, a "Hazard Alert!" that warns against children undertaking some of these feats, and then an "Over to You" that offers some tricks of the trade--not to achieve remarkable results but to improve personal skills. Most of the accompanying color artwork consists of cartoonlike illustrations; a few photographs are also included. Some of the extreme abilities push credibility: The platform with 18 men on it that Louis Cyr apparently lifted in 1895 weighed an astonishing 4,336 pounds. Prahlad Jani, an 82-year-old practitioner of meditation, claims not to have had anything to eat or drink since he was a child. Although few readers will have the necessary talent to replicate these remarkable accomplishments, who doesn't love a fantastic (but mostly true!) story?Brief and entertaining. (sources, further reading, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)

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