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Does your 12-year-old know she swallows about a quart of snot each day? That fresh urine is cleaner than faeces, spit or the skin on her face because it contains no bacteria? If not, she hasn’t read Grossology by Sylvia Branzei (Planet Dexter/Addison-Wesley, $14.99), the only serious, well-researched science book for 9 to 13-years-olds that comes with a big splat of plastic vomit on the cover. Terrific illustrations, and no-nonsense text from a science teacher who knows that kids want to know about dandruff, farts and body odour – and provides all the answers. Guaranteed to embarrass adults.