Horrible Science facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Horrible Science

Front cover of Measly Medicine
Author	Nick Arnold; Phil Gates
Illustrator	Tony De Saulles
Cover artist	De Saulles
Country	United Kingdom
Subject	Science
Genre	Children's literature; science writing
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	1996–present

Horrible Science is a super popular series of books, much like the Horrible Histories books. These books are mostly written by Nick Arnold and drawn by Tony de Saulles. They are published by Scholastic in the UK and India.

The main goal of Horrible Science is to make science exciting for kids. It does this by focusing on the weird, gross, and amazing parts of science. These books are sold in 24 countries, and over 4 million copies have been sold in the UK alone!

Nick Arnold even wrote a paper explaining why Horrible Science helps kids learn. He says the books cover everyday topics and important school subjects. They use humor and cool facts to show how dramatic and wonderful science can be. The books also include fun experiments you can do at home with simple stuff.

How the Books Are Made

Nick Arnold shared his secret to writing these awesome books. He said he researches a topic a lot, even more than he needs to. This way, he has tons of facts and can pick the most interesting ones. He believes that the more you know, the more curious you become, and that helps your imagination grow!

Horrible Science Books

There are many different types of Horrible Science books. They cover all sorts of science topics, from your own body to outer space!

Original Books

These are the first books in the main series:

• Angry Animals (2005) – About Animal attacks
• Blood, Bones and Body Bits (1996) – All about the Human body
• Body Owner's Handbook (2002) – Another look at the human body
• Bulging Brains (1999) – Discover your amazing Brain
• Chemical Chaos (1997) – Explore chemicals and Alchemy
• Deadly Diseases (2000) – Learn about different diseases
• Disgusting Digestion (1998) – What happens to your food after you eat it?
• Evil Inventions (2007) – Cool and crazy inventions
• Evolve or Die (1999) – The story of Evolution
• Fatal Forces (1997) – All about Forces and motion
• The Fearsome Fight for Flight (2004) – The history of how things learned to fly
• Frightening Light (1999) – The secrets of Light
• House of Horrors (2012)
• How to Draw Horrible Science (2011)
• Killer Energy (2001) – What is Energy and thermodynamics?
• Measly Medicine (2006) – The history of Medicine
• Microscopic Monsters (2001) – Meet tiny Bacteria, germs, and viruses
• Nasty Nature (1997) – The wild animal kingdom and nature
• Painful Poison (2004) – What happens when you encounter Poison?
• Shocking Electricity (2000) – All about Electricity
• Sick! From Measly Medicine to Savage Surgery (2009)
• Sounds Dreadful (1998) – The science of Sound
• Space, Stars and Slimy Aliens (2003) – Explore Space and beyond
• The Terrible Truth about Time (2002) – What exactly is Time?
• Ugly Bugs (1996) – All about Insects and other creepy crawlies
• Vicious Veg (1998) – The amazing world of Plants
• Wasted World (2009) – Understanding global warming
• The Horrible Science of YOU (2009) – More about the human body

Combined Editions and Boxed Sets

Sometimes, two or three books are put together in one "Two in One" or "Three in One" edition. There are also big sets of 10 or 20 books for super fans!

Activity Books

These books are full of fun activities, puzzles, and quizzes:

• Angry Animals Shuffle Puzzle Book (2008)
• The Blood, Bones and Body Bits Shuffle Puzzle Book
• Dangerous Dinosaurs Jigsaw Book (2006) – About dinosaurs
• The Seriously Squishy Jigsaw Book
• Ugly Bugs Jigsaw Book (2008)
• Disgusting Digestion Sticker-Activity Book
• Ugly Bugs Sticker-Activity Book
• The Seriously Squishy Quiz Book Pack
• The Awfully Big Quiz Book

Annuals

Every year, a new Horrible Science Annual is released, packed with facts, comics, and puzzles.

Special Books

Some books in the series are marked as "Specials":

• Explosive Experiments (2001) – Fun science experiments
• Suffering Scientists (2000) – Stories about famous scientists

Handbooks

These are smaller, handy books packed with experiments:

• Beastly Body Experiments
• Bulging Brain Experiment
• Freaky Food Experiments
• Famously Foul Experiments
• Sharks

Other Books

These books cover various science topics:

• The Awfully Big Quiz Book (2000)
• The Horrible Science of Everything (2005)
• Really Rotten Experiments (2003)
• The Seriously Squishy Science Book (2007)
• Smelly Science
• The Stunning Science of Everything (2005)
• How to Draw Horrible Science (2011)

Horrible Science Magazines

The front cover of the Super Sleuth magazine

There's also a Horrible Science Collection of magazines. It was so popular that they added 20 more issues to the original 60! Each magazine dives deep into a different science topic. Some of the cool topics include:

• Beastly Body Bits – All about the Human body
• Chemical Chaos – Exploding chemicals
• The Smashing Solar System – Our amazing Solar System
• Disgusting Digestion – How your digestive system works
• Shocking Electricity – The power of Electricity
• Hidden Horrors In The Home – Tiny Bacteria and germs
• Bulging Brains – Your incredible Brain
• Savage Spiders & Slippery Slimeballs – Creepy spiders and slugs
• Rotten Reactions – Wild chemical reactions
• Awful Earth – Our planet, Earth
• Mad as Matter – What is Matter made of?
• Painful Poisons – The dangers of poisons
• Bones 'n' Groans – Your bones and skeleton
• Insect Invaders – All about insects
• Super Sleuth – The science of spies and codes
• Nasty Nature – More about Nature
• Fearsome Fuels – What are fossil fuels?
• Deadly Diseases – More on diseases
• Gruesome Gravity – The force of Gravity
• Mean Machines – How machines work
• Universe & Worse.... – Exploring the Universe
• Vicious Veg – The amazing world of plants
• Body Owner's Manual – More about body parts
• Lethal Lightning – The power of Lightning
• Mean Mammals – All about mammals
• Mighty Magnetism – The magic of Magnetism
• Awesome Ants & Sleazy Bees – Tiny ants and bees
• Fatal Forces – More about forces
• Crazy Cures & Revolting Remedies – Old Cures and treatments
• Barmy Birds – The world of birds
• Blast Off! – All about Spacecraft
• Evil Evolution – How living things change over time
• Horrible Heat – The science of Heat
• Freaky Fish – Life underwater with Fish
• Startling Senses – Your five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing)
• Sounds Dreadful – More on Sound
• Sinister Swamps – Exploring swamps
• Ghastly Genes – What are genes?
• Microscopic Monsters – More on microorganisms
• Growing Up Grossly – How humans grow
• Foul Frogs & Slimy Toads – All about frogs and Toads
• Terrible Time – More on Time
• Frightening Light – More on Light
• Dangerous Dinosaurs – More on dinosaurs
• More Painful Poisons – Even more on poisons
• Fearsome Flight – The history of flight
• Foul Food – The science of Food
• Staying Alive – The science of survival
• Fearsome Flying Machines – Old flying machines
• Revolting Reptiles – All about reptiles
• Dead Freezing – The science of cold
• Noisy Nature – The sounds of the animal kingdom
• Mad Medicine – More on Medicine
• Foul Fungi – The world of fungi
• More Dangerous Dinosaurs – Even more on dinosaurs
• Blinding Light – More on Light
• Gruesome Germs – More on germs
• Slimy Sea Monsters – Amazing sea creatures
• It's About Time – Another look at Time
• Perilous Planes – The history of planes
• Big And Bad Beasts – Dangerous Animals
• Shady Spies – More on spies
• Musical Mayhem – The science of Sounds and Music
• Prehistoric Pests – Life in prehistoric times
• Baffling Brainboxes – The human brain
• Mind Boggling Materials – More on Matter
• Pesky Plants – More on Plants
• Wicked Weather – The science of Weather
• Underwater Uglies – All about aquatic animals
• Mean Body Machine – More on the Human body
• Rowdy Robots – The world of robots
• Gruesome Guzzling – All about Eating and Digestion
• Nuclear Nasties – The power of Nuclear power
• Mind Magic – The science of magic
• Hairy Humans – The evolution of humans
• Freaky Future – What the future might hold
• Horrid Healthcare – The history of Health and Medicine
• Awful Inventions – More on inventions and Technology
• How to be a Suffering Scientist – More on scientists

There are also three special magazines:

• DIY Shocking Science – Fun experiments you can do
• Spooky Science – Science for Hallowe'en and monsters
• Alien Science – What if aliens were real?

Horrible Science TV Show

In May 2015, a new TV show based on Horrible Science started filming! It was made by Toff Media and Hat Trick Productions.

The show stars actors like Ben Miller, Chris Martin, Tom Bell, and Susie Wokoma.

The TV series is about a science show and its funny crew. There's Mark, the host, and Professor McTaggart, a talking brain! There's also a robot named Bob, a tiny Professor Small, and the show's producer, Lucy. Each episode features a famous scientist being interviewed and ends with a funny song that parodies a popular tune.

TV Show Episodes: Series 1

Series 1 of the TV show began on September 13, 2015.