This book was right up my creepy little alley! I used to love Unsolved Mysteries when I was a kid and my favourite episodes were about ghosts, haunted houses or just weird stuff. This book covered it all and I enjoyed i thoroughly. It's geared more towards younger readers and I think it's a great introduction for children that are becoming interested in this sort of thing. Despite that, it's still great for adults too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A fascinating and engaging books for upper primary and lower secondary readers. We spent a few months unable to keep this book in stock in our school library.

I loved this so dang much! This was so odd and weird and gave my heart some sci fi loving energy. I am a nerd who loves x files and all things weird... this was a great dose of WHAT THE?!

Very practical introduction discussing Occam's Razor, coincidence and the idea that the most logic idea must be the truth if there is a lack of evidence either way. There are ten broad categories that encompass many different mysteries in the book. The categories range from alien encounters, sea monsters, zombies, ghosts and more. Each category touched on has examples from around the world (including starting off right with the 1961 Hill alien abduction story in Montreal, Canada --sorry the proud Canadian in me can't resist but be excited). The illustrations by Gordy Wright are equally creepy and accurate. From alien ships to Bigfoot to illustrated maps and scroll designs. Wright has done an excellent job of both activating the imagination, while keeping the known articles to their 'fairly' factual design (given they are illustrated).

There is a lot of skepticism in Strange But True. I do like that it almost never says people who have experienced supernatural events are lying. But instead it offers many other explanations that combined may start to account for the types of things people say they have experienced. For example in the opening category of alien abduction we learn about sleep paralysis, highway paralysis, TV show illustrations, preconceived notions of ideas (ie: we exist so why not aliens?) and pareidolia which is most common with clouds (where our brain likens a shape to something we know already), etc. All of which together can explain many of the different alien abduction or experiences stories from around the world. No one thing is clear or obvious; but combined it is seen as powerful to have the large majority of the alien incidents complying.

So we move through the book from aliens, Egypt, Bigfoot and more into our last category, Sea Monsters. And now here is where I love what writer Kathryn Hulick has doe. She has taken mostly explainable phenomena and ideas and disproves them. Except for one; the giant squid. In 2012 the Triton deep sea vessel found a real-life giant squid and photographed it. The photograph is amazing and the intricacies of the intelligence in the eye of the squid are enough to make anyone wonder about all the mysteries of the world and what else we might not know exists but have legends or myths about it. This is the perfect ending as it leaves the door open to encourage the reader to keep searching; keep looking and keep hypothesizing about everything and anything. A truly clever way to bring to light some clear and obvious misconceptions; while still keeping the imagination alive.

As a child of the 90's (who was a pre-teen when X-files first came to TV); myself and most of my friends of a like-age are fascinated by the supernatural. This would have been a perfect book for us between the pages of 8-13. For those, like me, that hope there are more unique sea monsters, Bigfoot, etc. out there it's an opportunity to link to aliens and perhaps accept that humans are far from the only intelligent life. All of these opportunities and more are left for anyone to explore at the end of Strange But True.

While there may be no magic in this book, or if there is it's likely disproven; I believe it certainly does have a magic that proves there is always more to learn. That science is never ending and that we can always strive to know more, find more and exist beyond our own mortal lives. Whether that's as a famous scientist or even a ghost. One thing is surely for certain; anything is possible after finding a giant squid; it's just that some scenarios are more likely to be true than others.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book due to technical difficulties after several repeated attempts. It seems like an interesting book and I am unable to provide a review so while I appreciate the offer I will be unable to provide an opinion but I look forward to reading it in my store and being able to try to sell it as concept wise it seems great

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and informative book for kids. The mysteries are presented in such a way that readers are invited to draw their own conclusions about the facts. It’s quite refreshing when authors don’t treat young people like idiots and give them the tools to think things through critically for themselves. Some of the topics covered include UFOs, Atlantis, Ghosts, Zombies and Sea Monsters. All that good stuff!

The illustrations are of a high quality and enhance the information used in the book without taking over.

Would be a great gift for curious children 8-13ish, I'll be buying a copy for my nephew!

Most often, kids books about mysterious events or cryptids either present these ideas as truth or at least heavily imply that they could be true. This one falls more into the realm of skepticism. It's not that Hulick states flat out that Atlantis could not exist, just that it's highly unlikely. It's not that the Nazca Lines couldn't have been sign posts for aliens, just that other explanations are more plausible. That's the approach Hulick takes here: what are the details of this event; what do people believe about it; what do science and history tell us; what conclusions can we most sensibly draw. Hulick is not completely dismissing these ideas but is encouraging Occam's Razor. She's teaching young readers to think critically and consider that evidence for a story, providing skills for them to build upon when they encounter suspicious studies when they're older

I was given a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I've never read anything so satisfying, as this book that teaches us to think critically when faced with the unknown. I loved the call backs to the scientific method and the mix of old and new oddities.

The only thing that took enjoyment from the book was the format. It is not an easy read on a kindle, but I'm betting that the physical copy is lovely and would make a great gift for curious children.

Strange but True: 10 of the World's Greatest Mysteries Explained, written by Kathryn Hulick and illustrated by Gordy Wright, explores ten of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries. Readers can witness a UFO encounter, search for the lost city of Atlantis, tour a haunted house, and discover the kraken's true form. The book utilizes the scientific method and sharp thinking to separate fact from fiction and explain the unexplainable.

Strange but True: 10 of the World's Greatest Mysteries Explained takes the stories of the unexplained and offers readers as much of the story as they can. I like that the book offers the legends, witness statements, and scientific information to give readers of all ages the tools and information necessary to make up their own minds. I love the documentaries and television show that do this, so not much of this book was new to me. However, I think it was a well organized and structured book that can help interested readers take the time to look at mysteries and experiences like those discussed from multiple angles. I thought the illustrations were well done and broke up the text nicely to keep the pages and blocks of text from becoming overwhelming. I did think that some of the font choices, particularly the chapter headings and sidebar commentary was hard to read- however that could have been partially because I was reading a digital copy. I did like that in the end notes the author included information on his sources, so that if readers are interested in a particular story they can do further research.

Strange but True: 10 of the World's Greatest Mysteries Explained is a well organized and interesting read. I think many middle grade readers will enjoy it.

This book was only available on ePub but was very difficult to read. It had pictures and decent information but I wish I could read it clearer.

Although too young for my daughter, I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan on conspiracy theories and legends so naturally I'd enjoy this book.

This was a very good book indeed, carefully and scientifically debunking a lot of the common stories of the unexplained for the under-twelves. We start with alien visitation and UFOs, then go through ghosts and hauntings and Atlantis, delve into darkness with potential zonbis, before progressing in very intelligent ways around the Fortean world – and ours, as we zigzag from Nazca lines to the Bermuda Triangle to the curse on Carter in the Valley of the Kings. Good design and illustration mean we speed through the pages, but the level of learning is great here, the subject is bound to appeal – and any person of any age deserves to have a corrective to the von Danikens and Gellers of this world. There's so very little wrong with this, and I know of no other, similar book, so it gets five rational stars.

This was a cute piece of nonfiction for children discussing topics such as Atlantis and alien abductions. I think it would be a really great read for those reluctant readers in later elementary school and early middle school.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Discover the truth behind some of the world's greatest unexplained mysteries using the power of science and critical thinking to expose aliens and sea monsters, haunted houses and lost cities for what they really are. Accompanied with hauntingly, beautiful illustrations, Strange but True, is a must read this Halloween!

I enjoyed this as an adult and would have loved it as a kid. I think I watched every single episode of Unsolved Mysteries, so I was interested in this as soon as I saw the title. It lived up to my hopes. I enjoyed the artwork.

From Bigfoot to hauntings via Atlantis and alien abductions, this book aims to give possible explanations for some of life's biggest mysteries.

What a great book for any kids interested in this kind of subject! The illustrations are wonderful and the information is matter of fact without talking down to the reader. I love that the book never claims to have absolutely all the answers, it just says 'here's a possible explanation for this occurrence'. It's very cleverly done.

A fantastic read.

This book gets straight to my X-Files-loving heart! I love anything to do with the unexplained, strange phenomena etc. – but I'm also a massive sceptic, so this book is perfect for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It explores the fascination and intrigue of the unexplained, while also explaining what a more logical, prosaic explanation could be. Particularly important for aspiring young investigators are the explanations of why it's important to find proper evidence for things, and the encouragement to see how wonderful and magical the world is even without aliens and monsters. Also the artwork is lovely – it somehow manages to be magical and spooky at the same time. A great Halloween gift for any small and curious person in your life.

3.75 stars.

Here it is, right up front: It's a great book to expose kids to. They, imaginative and impressionable as we know them to be, get easily caught up in the sensational side of odd phenomena throughout the world, right? Hulick's book helps to orient their thinking toward a more methodical, sensible direction, prompting them to ask the right questions when these stories pop up.

To assuage any fears, the point of this book isn't to poo-poo on anyone who believes in UFOs, ghosts, etc. but to simply take the facts as they are. Hulick states within that these instances are fun to think upon, that they're interesting and captivating in their abilities to not be fully explained, and that *that* is the key to all of this. Are ghosts real? Maybe, maybe not--but just take a look at what we do know. Lots of kids could use this reassurance, to be told that there's more than just a stuffy, rigid response from academia; that science and folklore can share a common ground, should things line up.

Hulick stokes the imagination, prepares the mind to better receive material a little on the weird side, and probably will even save some kids from a few sleepless nights.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advance read.

I noticed that this book is for 10 to 13 year-old children, but as an adult, I honestly love reading books like this too. Besides all the interesting tales, another reason to enjoy this is that the author added some possible scientific explanations for the situations covered in the book, but not everything can be explained away that well. It still leaves the reader with a sense of the mysterious, that while there appears to be many reasonable explanations, there might very well be other dimensions than what most of us believe or see with our own eyes; I think that’s why stories like this continue to fascinate us.

The illustrations in this book add an extra layer of spookiness to many of the stories, and I loved that they were added. I give this book 5 stars for how well it was written.

This book is a fascinating learning tool. Scientific facts and mesmerizing photographs. It is broken up into the following ten stories...AN ENCOUNTER WITH ALIENS .THE HAUNTED MANSION,THE SEARCH FOR LOST WORLDS, THE STAR OF DEEP BEGINNING,WHEN THE DEAD RETURN ,AMAZING POWERS OF THE MIND , THE SECRETS OF AN ANCIENT TOMB , LOST AT SEA , THE MYSTERY OF DEAD MOUNTAIN , MONSTERS OF THE DEEP . All highly informational and enjoyed by the grandparents, parents and grandchildren in this household.