What could be better than learning about real life gross out stuff? And what a better subject than…blood itself! In Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, we learn so much about the origins of how people all over the world viewed blood in the past and how we deal with it today. The little stories in this book are awesome. For example, did you know that Gaul warriors made necklaces…for their horses of the severed heads of their enemies? Or what about a woman in the 1600s who bathed in blood because she thought it would make her younger. Some believed that your brains were in your blood and if you leaked too much, there went your intelligence! But not all these ideas are from the past. Many religions today still have rituals surrounding blood.
I am not into gross stuff, but this book walks the line between truly gross out and cool information. If you love reading weird off the wall facts, and enjoy going “ewwww” often, this is a great find for you!
Recommended for 7th grade and up.
Books in the Middle: Reading for Middle School 