My sister slept with the light on until she was 27. She rightfully blames me. I would leap out of closets with my hands made into claws. I would...
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Erica Horne, April 21, 2009 (view all comments by Erica Horne)
Some books you hang onto because they are useful, or well written, or happy memories are associated with them. And then there are the select books that are so handsome, you keep them because of pride of ownership. THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS is a keeper in all these categories. It is so durable and well designed, it is an absolute pleasure to hold and read.
As to its actual contents, it sits at the pinnacle of nonfiction for early teen and 'tween boys, alongside The Big Book of Boy Stuff by, er, yours truly. Anyway, the chapters in DANGEROUS BOOK are a glorious, encyclopedic hodge-podge. They range from the historical ("The Golden Age of Piracy") to the esoteric ("Grinding an Italic Nib"!) to the quite daring ("Understanding Grammar").
My kudos to the Brothers Iggulden for this retro look celebrating the secrets of boyhood. And again, neither gender nor age should restrict its readership; this book looks great sitting on anyone's nightstand.
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K Bloom, December 24, 2007 (view all comments by K Bloom)
Ostensibly written for boys around 8-12, this book can be enjoyed by boys from 8 to 108.
There's plenty of simple projects to make, a fair amount of history and other topics to read about, like dinosaurs, famous battles and much more, like puzzles and games.
None of the articles are especially long and are sure to be able to hold the interest of the younger reader.
The style of writing is light-hearted and humorous and the book is profusely illustrated.
This book would make great summer reading while off from school and dads may want to order 2 copies so they can have 1 for themselves!! I'd also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet
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J., September 17, 2007 (view all comments by J.)
A fascinating book filled chock-full of swell information! Who could not enjoy a book that includes information on both the seven wonders of the ancient world, and how to hunt, skin, and cook a rabbit? I particularly liked the chapters that teach different types of essential knots, and detailed descriptions and explainations of famous historical battles. A must for boys and girls of any ages!
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MsLizB, July 3, 2007 (view all comments by MsLizB)
I bought this for my 8-year-old grandson. He has enjoyed parts of it, but his father has read it cover-to-cover. The entries are short enough and the topics are mixed-up enough so that I expect something new will catch the fancy of a boy, while he's checking out something that he's already interested in.
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These volumes, The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls, are utterly brimming with tips, tools, maps, pictograms, glossaries, advice, game rules, blueprints... you name it! They're fantastic guidebooks for kids. And, truth be told, I learned a lot, too.
by Jenny
"Review"
by School Library Journal,
"The authors refer to their own experiences as they tested the activities, lending an appealing personal tone....Both premise and content should appeal to many boys, and might be even more successful when nostalgic dads join in."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden have put together a wonderful collection of all things that make being young or young at heart fun — building go-carts and electromagnets, identifying insects and spiders, or finding true north.
"Synopsis"
by Libri,
The bestselling book for boys from eight to 80 covers essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, and even answering the age-old question: whats the big deal with girls?
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