I have to wonder about Simon’s choice of title: Is it actually possible to have mysteries that aren’t “strange”? Perhaps the “strangeness” really lies in the explanations that people give for these unusual events or phenomenon. The paranormal, aliens, and even sea monsters are invoked. (Superstition and irrationality appear to be the default mental settings for humans).

Now to the book itself: Simon presents nine “mysteries” in total. Six of them, which rely on newspaper and magazine reports, concern phenomena which have convincing scientific explanations, even if some of the nitty-gritty details haven’t been fully settled. These include—among others—

(1) stories of storms in which fish and frogs have rained down from the sky, sometimes miles away from the nearest body of water These strange occurrences are attributed to the strong winds from storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes that lift animals out of their natural habitats;

(2) accounts of unusual nighttime lights, which change size and colour and seem to be able to move While not all can be explained, those occurring near swamps may be related to the methane gas emitted as plant matter decays;

(3) reports about about a massive explosion that occurred in Siberia in 1908 Most scientists agree this was due to a comet’s entering, slowing, and exploding within Earth’s atmosphere; and

(4) a discussion of the experiences of barefooted fire walkers who step on yards of hot coals without receiving burns This one is admittedly harder to explain, but some scientists say wood coals are poor conductors of heat, and others allude to the “Leidenfrost effect”, which occurs when a cold moist object (a foot) touches a hot dry one (a coal), and a steam barrier is created between the objects. Steam is a poor conductor of heat.

I found the three historical mysteries more interesting to read than those related to natural phenomena. The Oak Island treasure, the Mary Celeste “ghost ship”, and the (supposedly Mayan) crystal skull have morphed into tall tales over time. Simon writes them up as longer, coherent narratives, with a plots, casts of characters, and even conflict(s) of a sort. The edition I read, with a copyright of 1997, is now quite dated, and aside from the story of the crystal skull, the “mysteries” remain unsolved. While there is now a better theory about why an undamaged ship was found floating crew-less with its valuable cargo still intact, I’m not sure anyone really believes treasure will ever be found at the bottom of a deep, centuries-old shaft on Oak Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. (A British Columbian Company, Ideon Technologies, and the History Channel are apparently aiming to find out for sure by the end off 2022) The quartz skull is now known to be a hoax; there’s evidence that the adventurer, whose daughter apparently found it, actually purchased the skull in London in 1943.

As mentioned, this edition of Simon’s work is now pretty dated and not all of his explanations are likely to be accessible to the intended readership. Nevertheless, the book is still likely to entertain readers aged ten and up. ( )

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Call me crazy, but I adored this book. I liked the topics it covered, it seemed well written for a middle grade book, it let me know about things I didn't know about before, over all I loved it a lot. 5 out of 5 stars. But some of that might be my love of history, so I'm a bit biased. Still, if you like quirky, kind of oddball things, read this book. It'll go quick as it's only just over 60 pages, so sit down, put your feet up, and jump into the land of strange mysteries for a few minutes. ( )

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