We live in a weird time. My oldest child was tasked to use AI to write a school essay, and I can’t get my youngest son to believe me when I say, “Sirenhead is just a character.” As a skeptic, and a mom, I have some very large concerns about these things and the current state of the world. What a great reminder that we must absolutely teach our kids critical thinking skills!
Escaping into the Loch
I wasn’t thinking about any of that when I was sent Candace Fleming’s new book, Is It Real? The Loch Ness Monster. It was meant to be an escape from the current news cycle. I thought it would be a typical boring read all about debunking the mystery, but what a sweet treat I got when I dove in!
I went into Is It Real? completely blind from any advertisement or summary, so I hadn’t realized it was a youth book. I’d prepared for the run-of-the-mill, basic intro to the Loch Ness Monster, but Fleming took a different approach that immediately sucked me into the text. She writes in second person narrative, so you, the reader, are now an expert investigator that has just received mail, and you have a new job — to find out if the Loch Ness Monster really exists!
Is It Real? The Loch Ness Monster is broken into three parts and meant to be read like an investigation into the creature. Part one deals with the evidence and case file you received in the mail. The second part is the investigation portion, in which you do research on the evidence provided. Part three provides further information that helps you determine if you made the proper conclusion.
Is It Real? genuinely does act like an investigation: your character asks questions, explores websites, and consults books to find out more information about Loch Ness, and you compare information across sources. There’s even a handy investigator’s notebook you can call upon for help.
There are multiple points in Is It Real? where Fleming explores this “handbook” for definitions and meanings, and everything is worded in ways that any level of reader can understand. She takes concepts like “cognitive bias” and “correlation vs. causation” and, without even using the terms themselves, gives the reader enough guidance to not trip over those common errors. One of the best things Fleming does is simply to show the main character (you) asking questions.
Additionally, I love how thorough and in-depth Fleming went into showing the main character sorting through evidence to formulate a conclusion. She walks the reader fully through the “how” step, but the question of “is it real?” never gets a solid answer. Instead, Fleming provides more evidence that would allow the reader to see if their conclusion is in line with the most likely answer, no. This is a great method that can be used to teach critical thinking skills to young people, but can (and should) be implemented in many more of the situations we face today.
Was it good?
This is my favorite book that I’ve reviewed in a long while. Is It Real? is very informative, easy to read, and interesting enough to keep kids entertained. While it’s listed for readers ages 8-12, I think it’s flexible enough to work for nearly anyone — even younger, with some modifications.
Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster is ultimately a cryptid book, but it also doubles as one the best “how-to: basic investigative research” books I’ve found. I’d highly recommend it to science classes presenting the scientific method, or to any intermediate or middle school class learning to do research for a project or essay. Fleming nailed the process, and made it fun!
While Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster leads you to the conclusion you probably could have guessed, Fleming doesn’t dash any hopes and dreams all the way in the end. She includes some of the reports that still flow in to this day. Sometimes it’s nice to just escape, and to let dreamers dream.
Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster is available on March 4.
Every February, to help celebrate Darwin Day, the Science section of AIPT cranks up the critical thinking for SKEPTICISM MONTH! Skepticism is an approach to evaluating claims that emphasizes evidence and applies the tools of science. All month we’ll be highlighting skepticism in pop culture, and skepticism *OF* pop culture.
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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