BOOKS: The Dangerous Book For Boys

"BRILLIANT!! (Not just for boys...)"

THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS
by Conn & Hal Iggulden

(Harper Collins, May 2007) -- Available 5/25/07 on Amazon.com

Review based on Advanced Reader's Copy/Uncorrected Proof from HarperCollins

Again: BRILLIANT! Just in time for the long, lazy days of summer ahead: Banish the other B-word (Bored!) and counter-balance too much screen time (TV/computer/video games) with this retro-cool Encyclopedia of Boyhood -- make that CHILDhood, since there is plenty in this book for girls, too. (Although the girls might not find the critical skill of skinning a rabbit quite as compelling.)

In 84 concise, illustrated chapters, brothers Conn & Hal Iggulden offer an excellent mix of activities, exploration, science & experiments; Great Adventure stories, even History, Poetry and Grammar. THE DANGEROUS BOOK is a childhood how-to guide that covers everything from paper airplanes to go-carts, skipping stones to, yes, skinning a rabbit. (Ewww.) There is a plethora of fun, interesting indoor activities as well: Tabletop Football, Pen & Paper Games, Coin Tricks, How to Play Poker, Stories and Book Recommendations. THE DANGEROUS BOOK is a wonderful resource, a guidebook for an entire summer of fun and adventure.

THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS is already a smash hit in Great Britain, on the British best-seller lists for months, with more than half a million copies sold. Across the pond, with May hardcover release in the U.S. ($24.95), it has already been featured heavily in U.S. media, newspapers, and magazines.

From an interview with Conn Iggulden in PEOPLE Magazine (5/21/2007):
"Why 'dangerous'?...Boys need to take risks -- it's just part of us...If you ask a man about an important memory from when he was a kid, it's either triumph or disaster, and it'll probably involve him getting some minor injury..."

While I think the risks in THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS can be managed, for the most part, Dads are just as likely to enjoy THE DANGEROUS BOOK for this boyhood nostalgia. In fact, with it's gorgeous scarlet cover and gold lettering, THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS would make an excellent Father's Day Gift.

As proclaimed on the back cover:

"Recapture Sunday
afternoons and
long summer days.

The perfect book
for every body from
eight to eighty."