Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

Starred Review The author of Invisible Enemies (1998), Farrell now offers a fascinating, broad-ranging and imminently readable book on the beneficial roles of microbes. After stating some amazing facts about microbes and advising readers against running, somewhat futilely, for a bar of soap, the introduction provides a vivid picture of Antony van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of microorganisms in 1676. The chapters that follow consider beneficial microbes in the production of bread, cheese, and chocolate as well as their vital role in the gut, where they break down certain foods, kill harmful microbes, and enable certain genes in the intestines to maximize digestion. Finally, Farrell explains the process by which microbes dispose of human waste in sewage treatment plants, noting that they are also used to clean up oil spills and toxins in the environments. Illustrations include photos as well as interesting archival material. Without talking down to her audience or hyping the grosser aspects of the subject, Farrell presents what is known about beneficial microbes and acknowledges the ongoing study of these amazing life-forms.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

Melding science and social history, Farrell offers intriguing insights into human dependence on microbes. Her enthusiastic account explores the numerous contributions of these tiny organisms as they "release oxygen into the air we breathe [and] rid the world of noxious mounds of dead plants and animals..." among many other functions. Captioned photos and drawings are informative. Bib., glos., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

<p>As a companion piece for her newly revised edition of Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Disease (ISBN: 0-374-33607-5. $18.00), Farrell offers a look at the Good Guys: Yeasts and bacteria that create bread, cheese, chocolate and other necessities, that work with and within our digestive system, and that play central roles in the natural cycle of decomposition. She charges up her information (distilled largely from technical sources) with memorable insightsa""There is no food we eat that a microbe does not desire"a"plus interviews with a collector of sourdough starters worldwide, a scientist who has raised more than 100 generations of germ-free rats for experimental purposes, and a biochemist at a waste-treatment plant, among others. Illustrated with a scanty but effective array of images, from microphotos to old advertisements, this page-turner will persuade young readers, if not to love the microbes in which we are all more or less immersed, at least to appreciate them. (endnotes, bibliographies) (Nonfiction. 10-13)</p>

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-While Farrell's Invisible Enemies (Farrar, 1998) presented the struggle against disease-causing microbes, this lively and engaging companion offers intriguing insight into those that play a more helpful role in shaping our lives. The variety necessary for human survival is simply astonishing, and the author presents many of them in captivating detail. The book begins with a brief introduction to and history of these organisms. Chapters are devoted to the historical importance of food preservation and the use of microbes in producing cheese, bread, and chocolate. Information on the microbes necessary to digest such a meal and then to decompose it is included. The final chapter provides an exhaustive description of a waste-treatment plant. Complementary black-and-white photographs and illustrations are included throughout the text. This is a fascinating read, as well as a source of useful information for reports.-Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, WA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Readers who were enthralled with Invisible Enemies (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2005/VOYA review this issue) will relish another glimpse into the human connection with the invisible world. This time the microbes are awesome allies rather than enemies. And this time the storyteller takes readers on far more pleasant journeys as they are transported into the world of microbes in studying a cheese sandwich and chocolate bar. Readers experience Antony van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of the invisible world in a drop of water and Louis Pasteur's discovery of yeast as "alcohol factories." History and folklore are intertwined with the study of the unique processes in the production of cheese, the sourdough bread of the forty-niners, and the chocolate of the Aztecs. Readers visit the caves in France where blue-green penicillium produces Roquefort cheese and the tropical rain forests where today's chocolate is produced. They journey through five thousand years of using microbes to make bread and find a recipe for making sourdough starter. Unique ethnic foods such as cassava and soy sauce that rely upon microbes might be topics for further study by interested students. The book concludes with a chapter on the significance of enteric flora and a visit to a sewage treatment center. Students who will not read anything might well be hooked on this one. Its use in the classroom is easily applicable in a science, history, or foods class. This book is science for youth at its best and a must-have for any library. One might hope there are more books to come from this author.-Marilyn Brien.