The Germ Lab

Name: The Germ Lab
Brand: Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd
SKU: 9780753448243
Price: 22.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

The Gruesome Story of Deadly Diseases

By Richard Platt

0.0 (0 reviews)

Summary

The Germ Lab explores historic epidemics and pandemics, including Covid-19, through gripping case histories. The book features imaginative 'eyewitness' narratives from creatures like rats and flies that spread deadly viruses. It delves into how bacteria and other germs are combated, showcasing the vital work of scientists and the development of vaccinations. Illustrated with humorous artwork by John Kelly, this title offers a fun and informative look at the world's most dangerous diseases.
Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$22⁹⁹

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Germ Lab

$22⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for children interested in science and history, especially those curious about germs, diseases, and medical breakthroughs. The lively illustrations and engaging facts help explain complex topics in an accessible way for young readers.

BOARD GAMES 27 Oct 2026

We're Celebrating Halloween with a Board Game Party!

It's been a little while since our last team board game night, so what better...

FICTION 27 Oct 2026

Liam's Halloween Spook-tacular

Our newest Bookstore Hero, Liam, is a self-diagnosed horror fanatic, with a love for both books...

FICTION 27 Oct 2026

New Zealand Gothic and Some Wonderfully Atmospheric Novels from Aotearoa

We may be lacking in castles and moors, but we more than make up for...

ACOTAR 27 Oct 2026

What a Night! Inside Book Hero's Whirlwind ACOTAR Midnight Release

What a whirlwind the last 24 hours have been! I'm writing this running on approximately...

BOARD GAMES 23 Oct 2026

The Team's Long Weekend Reading

With the long weekend upon us, the team is hopefully getting some time in the...

A gallery of bugs and pests tell you everything you want to know about deadly diseases and pox-like pestilence – all the way from ancient history to COVID-19.

A gallery of bugs and pests tell you everything you want to know about deadly diseases and pox-like pestilence-all the way from ancient history to COVID-19.

Description

The Germ Lab features case histories of specific epidemics and pandemics, including Covid-19, with "eyewitness" accounts from the rats, flies, ticks and creepy-crawlies who spread the most deadly viruses. It is packed with fascinating facts and figures on the biggest and worst afflictions.

Discover how bacteria and bad beasties are beaten through the work of genius scientists and the development of vaccinations.

Written by Richard Platt and illustrated by John Kelly, the brilliantly humorous artworks and fun characters will entertain young readers. The book includes a cabinet war room showing the war on germs, a rogues' gallery highlighting the worst offenders, the very deadliest diseases examined under the microscope, and much more.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780753448243

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 April 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Kingfisher Books Ltd

Contributors:

Illustrated by John Kelly

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 5.0mm

Width: 230.0mm

Height: 260.0mm

Weight: 221g

Pages: 48

Collections

Children's Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Richard Platt

About the Author

Richard Platt has been writing for children since 1992. One of his books, Castle Diary, was shortlisted for the Kate Maschler Award, The Times Education Supplement award, and a History Today prize. His Pirate Diary won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2002, the Silver Smarties Award 2002, and won the 'Best Book With Facts' prize in the UK's Blue Peter Book Awards 2003. John Kelly has been an illustrator for more than 20 years, working for Macmillan, DK, Egmont and Scholastic, among others. He has won numerous awards and his picture book Guess Who's Coming for Dinner?, created with his wife, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award.

Also by Richard Platt

View all

Stephen Biesty's Incredible Body Cross-Sections

Take a journey inside and around the human body to see how it works. How does the body protect itself from infections? What makes your tummy rumble? Are you taller at the beginning or end of the day? This extraordinary book actually takes you inside - and around - the human body to see how it works, with the help...

By Richard Platt

Hardback

$39⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$51⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
A World of Information

A World of Information is a visually stunning collection of facts and figures for all the family to enjoy. This visually striking miscellany, from the effortlessly stylish print-maker James Brown, offers a treasure trove of incredible facts and figures. Do you know how many bones there are in the human body, or how clouds form? Are you curious about different...

By Richard Platt

Hardback

$27⁹⁹

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks
A World of Information

A visually stunning collection of facts and figures for all the family to enjoy How much do clouds weigh? Who invented the pencil? How many ways can you tie a knot? Discover the answer to these and many other questions in this elegant and absorbing miscellany of general knowledge. From music notation to Roman numerals and from the skeleton to...

By Richard Platt

Hardback

$27⁹⁹

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks
Don't Flush

Don't Flush is a light-hearted yet highly informative study of two of the most natural human resources in the world—poo and wee. Throughout history, the products of our bladder and bowels have helped us to build houses, wash and dye our clothes, fertilise crops, treat illnesses, solve crimes, control pollution, and create fuel, energy, and explosives. These pages show you...

By Mary Platt and Richard Platt

Hardback

$24⁰⁰

Available
Ships in 2-3 weeks
The Germ Lab

An entertaining and comprehensive telling of diseases, infections, plagues and pandemics for young readers. The Germ Lab features case histories of specific epidemics and pandemics, 'eyewitness' accounts from the rats, flies, ticks and creepy-crawlies who spread the most deadly viruses, plus plenty of fascinating facts and figures on the biggest and worst afflictions. Discover how bacteria and bad beasties are...

By Richard Platt

Hardback

$24⁹⁹

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Children's Books

View all

New Release

Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)

When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? In Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...

By Jeff Kinney

Paperback

$16⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Gruffalo Granny

The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...

By Julia Donaldson

Hardback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$30⁰⁰~~

(3)

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Sixth Faction

Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes—her world, her...

By Veronica Roth

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$34⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Detective Beans Colouring Club

Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...

By Li Chen

Paperback

$17⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Wahine

From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....

By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Hardback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$39⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas

From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...

By Katie Kirby

Paperback

$17⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
On Sale
21% off
New Release

Matihe! Achoo!

What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...

By Qiane Matata-Sipu

Paperback

$15⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Sweet As Looky Book

Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...

By Donovan Bixley

Hardback

$22⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Pocket Observology

Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...

By Giselle Clarkson

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster

Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...

By Sam Smith

Paperback

$14⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$14⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
On Sale
15% off
New Release

The Neverfear

A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...

By Katherine Rundell

Paperback

$17⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Mari the Unwonderful Witch

A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...

By Asako Yuzuki

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.