Brainstorm 261: Fungi Books

The science nerd in me appreciates a good read about fungus. There are tons of plants books out there, tons of animal books, and even a decent amount of microbe books, but the fungi don’t get as much love or page time. So whether you have a curious reader who would love to learn more about fungi, you’re part Hobbit and naturally mushroom-obsessed, or you appreciate a good mushroom story, here are books featuring fungi. Click on the titles to see my full reviews for each book including any content notes/trigger warnings.

The Accidental Apprentice (Wildlore, #1) by Amanda Foody

Barclay has fought hard to be a good apprentice mushroom farmer and stay within the many rules of the town of Dullshire since his parents were killed when the beast Gravaldor came out of the Woods. But despite his best efforts, his master has taken on a second apprentice, and Barclay really struggles to obey the ‘not running’ law of Dullshire. While out hunting for a rare mushroom, Barclay accidentally bonds with a Beast, and becomes a Lore Keeper. He is HORRIFIED. He's got to get this thing removed from his skin, where it resides now (unless he calls on it, and Barclay is NEVER going to do that). A girl in the Woods agrees to take him to the nearest village in the Woods where someone may be able to help him. But the Woods is not a safe place. The creature Barclay unwittingly bonded with is rare and sparks unwanted interest, and Barclay ends up having to enter a competition with other kids who want to be apprenticed to experienced Lore Keepers if he wants to get answers to how to get rid of his Beast. But surviving the competition also means he has to use his Beast. Will Barclay be able to survive his time in the Woods around Lore Keepers and Beasts and figure out how to remove his so he can get back to Dullshire?

An imaginative world with lots of questions to keep readers on their toes from whether Barclay will wake up to reality, who he can really trust, who will win the power struggle for control of the Woods, and who murdered someone and why.

Target Readers:

Fantasy Fans, Adventure Fans, Self-Discovery Story Fans, Mystery Fans, Imaginative World Building Fans, Mythical Creature Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers

Fungus Is Among Us! by Joy Keller, ill. by Erica Salcedo

A little girl gets increasingly more and more freaked out as she finds out that fungus is EVERYWHERE. But then she learns that maybe that isn't such a bad thing. The back of the book includes an interview with a mycologist about what that means, what she studies, and how she got into the field.

This is a stunningly well-done book for kids on all the different types of fungus and where they can be found in our world.

Target Readers:

Curious Kids, Fungi Studiers, Science Nerds, Nonfiction Fans, Picture Book Readers

The Mutant Mushroom Takeover (Maggie and Nate Mysteries, #1) by Summer Rachel Short

Mags is hunting for a grand science specimen that will cinch her win of the Vitaccino Junior Naturalist Merit Award. This is step 1 in her grand plan of getting her dad's job back at Vitaccino so he doesn't have to work way far away in Yellowstone. Mags loves her Gran and all, but she desperately misses her father. So she's on the hunt for something spectacular with her best friend, Nate, who is also in search of some weird phenomenon for his crytpo/supernatural/conspiracy theory Youtube channel. When they hear about weird glowing mushrooms at Old Man Bell's, they decide this is worth risking getting caught trespassing for. But they stumble into more than they bargained. These mushrooms don't just glow, they are variations of a mushroom that makes zombies out of ants in the Amazon and they are starting to take over the town's plant, animal, and even human population. But they seem to be the only ones who notice, and who's going to listen to some kids talking about dangerous mushrooms?

A solidly science-based ‘What if...?’ scifi thriller/mystery, that just tiptoes into the imaginary/horror realm. I'm a wimp when it comes to scary stories, but I loved this. The author does an admirable job in the back of the book clarifying what parts are based on scientific fungi facts and what parts veer off into only imaginary. Read this with Zombie Makers below for a great fiction/nonfiction pair.

Target Readers:

Scifi Fans, Science Nerds, Fungi Studiers, Lightly Creepy Story Fans, Mystery Fans, Thriller Fans, Trailer Park Setting Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Grandma & Grandkids Story Fans, Upper Middle Grade Readers

The Truffle Underground: A Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World's Most Expensive Fungus by Ryan Jacobs

Ryan Jacobs takes readers to the heart of truffle country. He explores where truffles grow and talks to a mycologist who has studied them for ages. Then he explores historic truffle hunting, and how it happens today, and all the issues truffle growers and hunters have with theft, sabotage, and outright hostility in the quest to get the money truffles promise. From property theft and damage to murders to dog kidnappings and dog poisonings, those at the ground level can have a really rough time getting their truffles to market. Jacobs then takes readers to look at what life is like for the middlemen, the ones who buy from the hunters and send it on to big companies and restaurants and make a huge profit and the problems they face in getting unreliable products and/or temptations to mix in or downright substitute the best truffles with lesser ones and sell them off to end consumers as the real deal. He also talks about how theft hits them too. And then he looks at how common truffle tampering is now and in the past.

This is an eye-opening look at the craziness that is the truffle world! (And you’ll never look at truffle oil the same way again.)

Target Readers:

Truffle Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Crazy True Story Fans, True Crime Fans, Food Story Fans, Adult Readers (approachable to YA)

Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead by Rebecca L. Johnson

Johnson gives short 1-2 page descriptions of these fungi, nematodes, protozoans, insects, and viruses that take over the brains and bodies of other living creatures. Photos accompany each description.

I know, not all of this is fungus-related, but it is hard enough to find fungi books we'll take one that features at least some fungi along with other parasites. Not only will this have reluctant nonfiction readers saying ‘Eww, gross…tell me more!’, it includes very easy to understand scientific descriptions of the life cycles of protists, fungi, insects, and viruses. (And a healthy warning about watching where you get your water and food from. Though the author clearly clarifies which parasites can affect which creatures, and some cannot cause humans any harm…unless you live in the fictional book world of The Mutant Mushroom Takeover.)

Target Readers:

Parasite Studiers, Food and Water Safety Studiers, Reluctant Readers, Strange But True Fact Collectors, Nonfiction Fans, Science Nerds, Middle Grade Readers on up