The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People

by Dana L. Church

Overview

A not-so-typical look at the mysteries of the monarch butterfly

Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future.

With their stunning black-and-orange wings, monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable insects on the planet. But despite their delicate beauty, these creatures are warriors. The moment they hatch, they’re fighting for their lives. Everything is the enemy: from the very leaf they live on to the humans and animals around them to nature itself. How does such a tiny egg survive to become a butterfly? And even after emerging from the cocoon, unimaginable danger awaits: migration.

Every year, monarchs take flight, making one of the greatest migrations in the world. However, for a long time, their destination was unknown within the scientific community. Through the research of scientists in Canada and the United States and the support and efforts of ordinary people as well as Indigenous knowledge in Mexico, that mystery was finally solved. But to do so would involve years of searching across three countries and encounters with feuding scientists, the consequences of colonialism, and life-and-death stakes.

Weaving together the untold story of survival, scientific discoveries, and the relationship between humans and butterflies, The Monarch Effect explores how one small insect can have an incredible impact on the entire planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338749229
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	306,284
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1100L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dana L. Church is the author of The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People and The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees. She received her PhD at the University of Ottawa in Canada, where she studied bumble bees (and never got stung!). She lives in southern Ontario with her husband, two children, and their big, black, friendly dog. You can find out more about Dana and her writing at danachurchwriter.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Beekeepers

"An enthusiastic celebration of the bumble bee." — Kirkus Reviews

"Church succeeds in illustrating the complex plight of bumble bees and illuminating the opportunities humans have to help these essential creatures thrive." — Publishers Weekly

"This well-researched book about bumblebees around the world doubles as a call to arms to save them from disappearing." — Booklist

"A welcome addition that fills the gap between picture books and adult nonfiction for budding bee enthusiasts, or for school reports." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2024

Gr 5 Up—It was as recently as 1975 that the overwintering site for millions of eastern monarch butterflies was discovered in Michoacán, Mexico. Initially credited to Canadian zoologist Fred Urquhart and his wife Norah, the breakthrough was actually made by an Indigenous Mexican naturalist, Carolina Trail (then Aguado), and her American husband, working for Urquhart. Church traces the intrigue among scientists racing to study the migration while keeping the site secret, as well as subsequent studies over decades examining how the insects know where and when to go, how they find milkweed for their caterpillars to eat, and much more. Later chapters outline challenges to conservation of the endangered butterflies and their fragile ecosystem. The tone of the writing is colloquial, with judgments like "really cool" or "super interesting." An author's note includes many suggestions of resources for learning more about the topic, recommendations for becoming involved by tracking and monitoring, and other citizen science initiatives. The volume concludes with a lengthy glossary and very extensive list of references, including books, magazine and newspaper articles, websites, and interviews, much of which will be inaccessible to the book's target audience. However, there are no individual source notes or citations. Photos and other illustrations complement the text throughout. VERDICT While there is much to fascinate budding biologists, the writing in this extensive text can be slow moving and is best suited to patient middle school readers.—Bob Hassett

School Library Journal

2024-02-03
An overview of monarch butterfly science.

Church offers an extensive account of the discovery of the phenomenon of monarch migration from the east and central U.S. and Canada to their winter home, north of Mexico City. She opens with what locals knew at the time, describing 1940s school trips (recalled by Homero Aridjis, later Mexico’s UNESCO ambassador) to see “rivers of butterflies” in sanctuaries in Michoacán. She later details Aridjis’ successful efforts to protect them through UNESCO World Heritage Site status. In between, the author describes monarch development and recounts the series of experiments that led to scientific understanding of their life cycle. Similarly, she describes the procedures that two different sets of scientists developed to track migrating monarchs. Church devotes a full chapter to the experience of Catalina Trail, the Mexican woman who led Canadian scientists to the actual wintering sites. She then describes efforts to protect these sites, human pressures on the sanctuaries, the rise of citizen science tracking efforts in the U.S., and the impact of changing agricultural practices. She even discusses monarch populations west of the Rocky Mountains and beyond North America. Occasional black-and-white photos supplement the text. This thoroughly researched work is not easy reading for the intended audience, but educators and determined science-minded readers will appreciate the clear presentation of the complexities of environmental protection in the modern world.

An enthusiastic and information-packed narrative. (author’s note, glossary, references, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews