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Home > Categories > Books > Kids - Middle > Samples From the Lab review
In 1950 two scientists and a cat took genetic modification to a very unnatural conclusion. The results were unexpected, bizarre and highly entertaining.
'Samples from the Lab' is an illustrated scientific journal that chronicles the awkward and amusing experiments of Professor Fictitious Karacter, his misguided attempts to meddle with nature and the eventual, disastrous results.
Samples from the Lab garnered complete funding within 5 hours through an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign, amassing NZ$65958 and surpassing its goal by 1300% during the course of its 30-day campaign.
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Review by: mizim (Miriam)
Dated: 13th of January, 2025
Shortlisted for a New Zealand Book award last year, meant that I saw plenty of this book when the shortlist was announced and we have stocked it since, but I have only just sat down and read it (and am now disappointed I didn't read it sooner).
The book is formatted like an old diary, the font is messy and handwritten with drawings scribbled throughout the pages (as well as a couple of official looking letters taped in). The journal entries are from one Professor Fictitious Karacter, who details how he has come up with an idea for some genetic modification to give us a cow that will produce strawberry milk... However things don't go as planned and over the next nine months, things go more and more awry as his experimentations get more than a little out of hand.
There are puns abound and some great one-liners - "Also, have uneasy feeling that I may, with my experiments, have opened Pandora's box (well, if not her box, then her purse or a small handbag)". The illustrations are wonderful, I do love a good animal amalgamation and am disappointed that I wasn't on Kickstarter when this was, because there are a few of the illustrations that I would have LOVED to have received a printable file of some of the pictures (insert crying face). I really do hope that I might be able to find some or even get some colouring in pages, because that would be a colouring book I would buy...
This met my love of amalgamated animals and puns really well, and I will be taking a copy home with me.
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Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)
