Scooby-Doo! A Science of Chemical Reactions Mystery: The Over-reacting Ghost

Scooby-Doo! Scooby-Doo Solves it with S.T.E.M.

by Megan Cooley Peterson, Darío Brizuela (Illustrator)

There's a ghost on the loose at school! Explosions in the science room, metal turning to rust, cakes burning in the cooking lab is the ghost to blame? Join the gang as they investigate the spooky mystery and catch the ghost in the act of causing chemical reactions!

32 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun mystery about chemical reactions featuring a ghost who terrorizes a high school in order to shut down the school dance.

The ghost is not all that scary and of course, the gang unmasks the creature, solving the mystery. The story skillfully incorporates concepts about chemical reactions into the plot.

At the end of the book, the author has included a glossary, steps in science and engineering practices, a list of books and other resources on the topic, and an index.

It's a fast read and will appeal to the Scooby-Doo! fans, young and old. The digital illustrations are colorful and capture the zany characters very well.

interesting quote:

"Is there a chemical reaction that can change the ghost into a harmless little bunny?" (p. 24)

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I liked it because it talks about chemical reactions like baking soda plus vinegar equals a chemical reaction. And I also found out that hydrogen peroxide and salt rusts metal."

It rusts iron.

"Yeah."

- review by a six-year-old, interviewed by his mom

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book that teaches about chemical reactions while Scooby and his friends solve a mystery at their high school. I enjoyed the concept of teaching science using a fun and popular character, such as The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, but this book was a little much. It is definitely aimed at older kids, yet it is written as a children’s book. There were so many facts and science words on single pages that it was hard to follow. I definitely liked the concept of this book but would have loved if it was done a little differently to make it easier to follow and an introduction to chemical reactions instead of being overwhelmingly factual.