"the Secret Life of Dust" by Hannah Holmes

you should adopt "The Secret Life of Dust", by Hannah Holmes into the curriculum because it is a unique book that provides an interesting outlook at a large part of our lives that we easily overlook. Dust, it turns out, has a huge impact on our everyday lives. Not only did it built the very planet we walk upon today, but it is present all around us, even in places that we did not know of and would least suspect. Dust dictates many aspects of everyday living, and there are still many mysteries to unlock that deal with this little particle.

The relationship between dust and humanity has been complex for thousands of years. From the Chinese to the Mayans, all sorts of nations have wondered about this marvel. Wouldn't you want to learn more about the substance that in today's era is still used for planting crops, buildings, making pottery, and thousands of other purposes? This book allows one to discover that there is more to dust than meets the eye. Eye shadows, sheetrock, aspirins, toothpaste, and magazines covers, just to name a few, are all everyday items that involve dust in some way or another! Where ever you look, dust is a part of your life whether you realize it or not. The dust on your living room floor could contain anything from space diamonds to Saharan dust, to of course, the dust mites.

However, not all dust is good. By reading this book you discover the numerous health effects caused by dust. It could be taking a toll on your health without even knowing it. You see, there is a reason why the rate of asthma has been going up in the United States, especially among children. Should we be afraid of the dust mites living in our bed? Should we buy vacuums with specialized HEPA filters, just to eliminate as many of the critters as possible? There is much to learn on this subject. As stated in the book "they also hold poisonous lead and long-banned pesticides, dangerous molds and bacteria, even cancer causing smoke particles." The real question is where is all of that dust coming from?

I bet one never would have guessed that a particle as microscopic as DUST may have been attributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Not only has dust created problems for species of living organisms, including our own. It has also aided in the ever growing problem of the rising temperature of our planet. You see, any particle in the air, no matter how small, has the ability to reflect sunlight. When the rays reflect off of the dust particles, this causes the planet to heat up quickly. In fact, the average temperature of the planet has been increasing exponentially year by year. This may not seem like an issue now, but over the course of time, earths systems will begin to fail. "The Secret Life of Dust" takes a look at recent studies performed with the atmosphere, etc. and how the dust has been interfering. For example, even the rain cycle has had some mishaps!

Supposedly, we all came