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  • Writer's pictureNZ Booklovers

Kay’s Anatomy by Adam Kay


There’s no denying that the human body is extraordinary and fascinating. But do you ever think about your body and how it all works?

Kay’s Anatomy answers all the important questions like:

· How much of your life will you spend on the toilet?

· Is it safe to eat bogeys?

· What creatures live in our eyelashes?

· Is the five second rule safe?

· Is it possible to hear colours and smell words? (spoiler alert – it is!)


Adam has taken important subject matter and successfully applied copious amounts of humour! He hits the mark perfectly, using his hilarious writing style to inform young readers. When I opened Kay’s Anatomy and read the dedication to Adam’s science teacher who gave him a detention in 1991 for saying he smelled, I knew this was going to be a brilliant book.

Kay’s Anatomy comprises fourteen chapters including skin, heart, blood, lungs, brain, hair and nails, eyes and ears and mouth and nose, bones, muscles, germs, gut, kidneys and liver, reproduction, life and death.

“Let me take you on a poo and puke-filled tour of your insides,” he writes.

Considered a children’s book, aimed at seven to 12 year olds, it’s worth reading, at any age! There’s an excellent glossary, further information and the book is well indexed (I lost my page and wanted to revisit synaesthesia, see spoiler alert above).

It’s not surprising that Kay’s Anatomy is a bestselling, record breaking non-fiction children’s book. Adam’s first book, This is Going to Hurt, revisited his former career as a junior doctor. It was an instant bestseller, has been translated into 37 languages and is currently being adapted for television. Follow Adam Kay online.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy Puffin, RRP $35.00

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