Horrible Science


Horrible Science is a series of books written by Nick Arnold and Phil Gates and illustrated by Tony de Saulles that are designed to get children interested in science by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The books are in circulation in 24 countries, with over 4 million books having been sold in the UK.
Arnold released a paper entitled "Teaching Science the Horrible Way", in which he demonstrates the reasons why the Horrible Science series has a positive contribution to learning. According to Arnold, Horrible Science books are based on everyday topics and key areas of the curriculum. The range of approaches used in Horrible Science books are intended to emphasise the drama and excitement and wonder of science. Science words and concepts are introduced gradually, often using humour or fact files. Although mathematics is not needed at the level of science covered in the books, some activities require calculators. The books contain experiments under the heading "Dare you discover...". Several of the books end with thoughts on how science will shape the future.
WWW Official Site

History

Before writing the series, Arnold was at the University of North London working on an educational project. He explained to The Birmingham Post: "It was actually a lucky break or a well-placed letter – whichever you want to believe – Because I wrote this really cheeky letter to the publishers Scholastic saying that if they were looking for someone to write a horrible science book I was the one. And would you believe they actually let me write a science book and put lots of horrible bits in it – and then it was hugely successful”.
During the mid-2010s, Horrible Science was given a book makeover, altering the covers of some of their old books, and all of the new books being published to have a new, more colorful background and updated information.
A Horrible Science theatre show produced by the Birmingham Stage Company, which also brought Horrible Histories to the stage, was created in 2013.

Approach

Arnold explained his approach towards writing the series in an interview with The Birmingham Post: "My approach to a subject is to vastly over-research it. I have become quite good at science by writing these books so have got quite a lot of knowledge already but then I really like finding out more information. If I over-research then I don’t just have all the facts I need, I have a lot more – and that means I can really choose what I want to include. The thing about a Horrible Science book is that actually it is all about imagination. The more you know the more you want to know and the more you want to develop that."

Critical reception

The response towards the series has been generally positive. Some reviews of the series website included a The Independent review that "Really Rotten Experiments" is "Perfect for keeping the kids occupied on a rainy day, this is full of useful tips...and fun, naughty experiments". Another review by the Evening Express said that the book Horrible Science: Painful Poison is "With fantastic fact files, quirky quizzes, humorous cartoons and easy-to-understand text, it makes science pretty horrible, but great fun". Books For Keeps said of the book Deadly Diseases: "Gruesome gut churning contents, you need a strong stomach to tackle this, and certainly before eating". The Scotsman commented on the series as a whole, "Nick Arnold has a reputation as quite a showman and his Horrible Science series provides him with plenty of opportunity for stunts. Children emerge wide-eyed and inspired". A review at described the series as "These are so much better than some of the dry textbooks that I used to have to read when I was in school...I'm saying that books like this are great for students because they show students that science is truly interesting and amazing!". A review by Roberta of the Growing with Science blog said of the book Chemical Chaos: "It is every bit as humorous and as comprehensive as the history series was". She adds that the " go a long way to fill that gap between middle and high school students". As said of Evil [Inventions in a review by
Jennifer Cameron-Smith at: "This is a delightful book and would make a wonderful present for any budding young scientist as well as a worthwhile addition to a school library. Making science fun can sometimes be a challenge, but books such as this certainly assist."

Controversy

There has been a negative response to Issue 6 - Hidden Horrors in the Home in the magazine adaption of the book series. The article named "Loony Lab" in this Horrible Science Collection had a section called "Grow your own manky microbes". A complainant, a biology teacher and parent, described it as "irresponsible in the extreme". A plastic petri dish and sachet of agar powder are provided as "free gifts", and children are encouraged to sample areas which may harbour disease-causing organisms, such as a toilet handle, a dog's ear, or a "bogey". Under certain circumstances, contact with these substances is potentially life-threatening. The complainant added "The potential for real harm is jaw-dropping. Even in school, under supervision of trained staff, we would not be allowed to do much of what the article suggests, namely for health and safety reasons. How can they be sure that every child will follow even the meagre and woefully inadequate safety advice given?"

Awards and nominations

The Horrible Science series has received the following awards :

Book categories

Original books

These are the original books in the core series:Blood, Bones and Body Bits Ugly Bugs Chemical Chaos Fatal Forces Nasty Nature Disgusting Digestion Sounds Dreadful Vicious Veg Bulging Brains Evolve or Die Frightening Light Deadly Diseases Shocking Electricity Killer Energy Suffering Scientists Microscopic Monsters Body Owner's Handbook The Terrible Truth about Time Space, Stars and Slimy Aliens Really Rotten Experiments The Fearsome Fight for Flight Painful Poison Angry Animals Measly Medicine Evil Inventions Wasted World Sick! From Measly Medicine to Savage Surgery The Horrible Science of YOU How to Draw Horrible Science
  • ''House of Horrors''

Omnibus editions and boxed sets

There are several "Two in One" editions:Ugly Bugs and Nasty NatureBlood, Bones and Body Bits and Chemical ChaosFrightening Light and Sounds DreadfulBulging Brains and Disgusting DigestionMicroscopic Monsters and Deadly DiseasesKiller Energy and Shocking ElectricityFatal Forces and The Fight for Flight
There have also been Three in One editions such as Ugly Bugs, Nasty Nature and Vicious Veg, a set of 10 books titled Ten Beastly Books, and a set of 20 titled Bulging Box of Books.

Activity books

Shuffle puzzle books

Angry Animals Shuffle Puzzle Book
  • ''The Blood, Bones and Body Bits Shuffle Puzzle Book''

Jigsaw books

Dangerous Dinosaurs Jigsaw Book The Seriously Squishy Jigsaw Book
  • ''Ugly Bugs Jigsaw Book''

Sticker-activity books

Disgusting Digestion Sticker-Activity Book
  • ''Ugly Bugs Sticker-Activity Book''

Others

The Seriously Squishy Quiz Book PackThe Awfully Big Quiz Book
It may be noted that the Sticker-Activity books have been renamed, along with their new design, by dropping the "Sticker" aspect and leaving "Activity".

Annuals

Annual 2008Annual 2009Annual 2010Annual 2011Annual 2012 Annual 2013Annual 2014Annual 2015
  • ''Annual 2016''

Specials

There are a couple books in the Horrible Science series that have a special sign on the front cover that indicate their inclusion in the "Special" sub-series of Horrible Science:Explosive Experiments
  • ''Suffering Scientists''

Handbooks

Following suit with the other main Horrible series', Horrible Science has recently introduced a new range of books, known as Handbooks.Beastly Body ExperimentsBulging Brain ExperimentFreaky Food ExperimentsFamously Foul Experiments
  • ''Sharks''

Teachers resources

The Horrible Science ''Teachers Resources'' subseries is, as described by Nick Arnold: "a whole series of books full of expert tips and photocopiable resources designed for pupils aged 7–11".

Others

These are the books that do not fit into the other categories. They are:The Awfully Big Quiz Book The Horrible Science of Everything Really Rotten Experiments The Seriously Squishy Science Book Smelly Science The Stunning Science of Everything
  • ''How to Draw Horrible Science''

Magazines

There is also a magazine collection to this series, which is collectively known as the Horrible Science Collection. This series was originally planned to encompass 60 issues, but due to their popularity, another 20 were added to the series.
The titles are as follows:
  1. Beastly Body Bits -
  2. Chemical Chaos -
  3. The Smashing Solar System -
  4. Disgusting Digestion -
  5. Shocking Electricity -
  6. Hidden Horrors In The Home -
  7. Bulging Brains -
  8. Savage Spiders & Slippery Slimeballs -
  9. Rotten Reactions -
  10. Beastly Bloody Body Bits -
  11. Awful Earth -
  12. Mad as Matter -
  13. Painful Poisons -
  14. Bones 'n' Groans -
  15. Insect Invaders -
  16. Super Sleuth -
  17. Nasty Nature -
  18. Fearsome Fuels -
  19. Deadly Diseases -
  20. Gruesome Gravity -
  21. Mean Machines -
  22. Universe & Worse.... -
  23. Vicious Veg -
  24. Body Owner's Manual -
  25. Lethal Lightning -
  26. Mean Mammals -
  27. Mighty Magnetism -
  28. Awesome Ants & Sleazy Bees -
  29. Fatal Forces -
  30. Crazy Cures & Revolting Remedies -
  31. Barmy Birds -
  32. Blast Off! -
  33. Evil Evolution -
  34. Horrible Heat -
  35. Freaky Fish -
  36. Startling Senses -
  37. Sounds Dreadful -
  38. Sinister Swamps -
  39. Ghastly Genes -
  40. Microscopic Monsters -
  41. Growing Up Grossly -
  42. Foul Frogs & Slimy Toads -
  43. Terrible Time -
  44. Frightening Light -
  45. Dangerous Dinosaurs -
  46. More Painful Poisons -
  47. Fearsome Flight -
  48. Foul Food -
  49. Staying Alive -
  50. Fearsome Flying Machines -
  51. Revolting Reptiles -
  52. Dead Freezing -
  53. Noisy Nature -
  54. Mad Medicine -
  55. Foul Fungi -
  56. More Dangerous Dinosaurs -
  57. Blinding Light -
  58. Gruesome Germs -
  59. Slimy Sea Monsters -
  60. It's About Time -
  61. Perilous Planes -
  62. Big And Bad Beasts -
  63. Shady Spies -
  64. Musical Mayhem -
  65. Prehistoric Pests -
  66. Baffling Brainboxes -
  67. Mind Boggling Materials -
  68. Pesky Plants -
  69. Wicked Weather -
  70. Underwater Uglies -
  71. Mean Body Machine -
  72. Rowdy Robots -
  73. Gruesome Guzzling -
  74. Nuclear Nasties -
  75. Mind Magic -
  76. Hairy Humans -
  77. Freaky Future -
  78. Horrid Healthcare -
  79. Awful Inventions -
  80. How to be a Suffering Scientist -
There have also been three 'special' magazines in the series:
S1. DIY Shocking Science -
S2. Spooky Science -
S3. Alien Science -

Flip charts

On 3 March, 2008, several online flip charts were released by Promethean Planet. As the site explains, "these ready-made interactive whiteboard resources have instant child-appeal, making the teaching of the QCA Science units fun and effective". The titles included are:
  • Animals and their Habitats
  • The Human Body and Keeping Healthy
  • Minibeasts
  • Sounds
  • Plants

Television series

In May, 2015, British television network CITV announced that filming had begun on a new ten-part TV series of Horrible Science. The series is produced by Toff Media, a company owned and founded by comedians Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong, and co-owned by Hat Trick Productions.
The series stars Ben Miller, stand-up comedian Chris Martin, Tom Bell, Jason Forbes, Letty Butler, Susan Wokoma and Eleanor Lawrence. There will also be some guest appearances by other actors.
The series focuses on a science show and its crew that consist of the show's host Mark, a talking brain Professor McTaggart , robot Bob, microscopic Professor Small and her crew of scientists and the show's producer Lucy. Armstrong provides the voice of the unseen announcer Tannoy who tells the crew how long until the show starts. Each episode also features a famous scientist being interviewed by either Mark or McTaggart. In a similar vein to the TV adaptation of Horrible Histories, each episode also concludes with a song that serves as a parody of another popular song.

Episodes

Series 1

Series 1 began on 13 September 2015.
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