Is It Real? the Loch Ness Monster

January 6, 2025
“You are an investigator for the Black Swan Scientific Investigation (BSSI) team,” Fleming (The Enigma Girls) declares in the opening chapter of this interactive foray into unraveling “the natural world’s greatest mysteries”—in this instance, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Transitioning from a cheeky second-person POV through which readers receive their mission into fluid third-person reimaginings of historical events, portrayed as the audience’s “case file,” the author launches budding cryptid sleuths into their investigation. The provided information (“Case File: What Lurks in the Loch?”) features the history of the Loch Ness Monster and its purported sightings, as well as gathered evidence, including the footprints discovered by game hunter Marmaduke Wetherell and surgeon Robert Kenneth Wilson’s infamous photo of the creature. Subsequent sections detail later investigations of the legend between 1958 and 1970 using sonar equipment and DNA testing. Utilizing a handy BSSI Investigator’s Handbook—a critical thinking guide covering topics such as evidence, bias, and questionable witnesses, included via insets—the audience is encouraged to evaluate the case of the Loch Ness Monster. It’s a clever, attention-grabbing read that fosters critical thinking skills and scientific methodology. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from January 1, 2025
Grades 3-7 *Starred Review* Fleming approaches the Loch Ness monster question with a well-organized collection of evidence for readers to evaluate, practical ways of doing so, and an attitude of skepticism. In the book's fictional framework, the reader, "an investigator for the Black Swan (BSSI) investigative team," receives an envelope full of interviews, news articles, and other documents related to Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, and one question to answer: "Is it real?" Addressing the reader in second person, Fleming offers advice on types of evidence and how to evaluate them. Although several photos were taken of "monsters" in Loch Ness, they did not prove Nessie's existence. The book's black-and-white illustrations include many photos and a few pertinent drawings. From the first sightings in 1933 to the arrival of a famous big-game hunter (who incorrectly identified a hippopotamus footprint as that of the monster) to Fleming's warning to doubt any evidence leading to conclusions that you particularly want, this well-organized book offers an opportunity to learn about the Loch Ness Monster while becoming more skilled and skeptical when evaluating so-called experts and opinions voiced as facts. In short, this account of the history of Loch Ness monster sightings and theories is entertaining, informative, and useful for practical applications as well.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.