The Dangerous Book for Boys

Review

Common Sense Media says

Brilliant marketing masks some weak content.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there is much here that you may find objectionable, beginning with the premise of the book. Boys are encouraged to hunt and gamble, and some of the stories are very violent, though not graphically so. Most of the activities require lots of adult supervision.

  • Positive messages0
    Some would consider the whole premise of the book to be sexist. Boys are encouraged to gamble for money, and to run away if they accidentally break a window.
  • Violence3
    A chapter on how to kill and skin a rabbit, another on how to make a bow and arrow. In the stories, there are fights and wars, beatings, amputation, deaths by a variety of methods, including being impaled on a red-hot poker which, the author states, was a statement on the victim's homosexuality.
  • Sex0
    A reference to homosexuality, a statement that boys spend a lot of time dreaming about girls.
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What's the story?

This compendium of things the authors believe will appeal to boys includes activities, such as building a tree house and go-cart; stories of famous battles and heroes; information on such things as grammar, first aid, and astronomy; advice; games; codes; and more.

Is it any good?

 

Tearing boys away from the screen to get out and do things and learn things in the real world is a laudable goal. But this has been done, and oh so much better, before, going back a hundred years or more to books such as The American Boy's Handy Book and The Official Handbook for Boys by the Boy Scouts of America (both still available). THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS shows all the signs of being slapped together quickly -- lots of typos and mistakes; inaccurate information; half-baked opinions presented as fact; plodding, muddy prose; and impenetrable, inadequate instructions from authors who clearly are not experts.

So how to explain its jaw-dropping success? Brilliant marketing, with a great title and a cool, retro cover. It's more appealing to dads than kids -- dads who are nostalgic for the childhood they never actually had, and want to believe they can provide for their own kids. Bad news: They can't -- at least not by using this book.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about which of the activities they would like to do, and what parental supervision is necessary. Also, why were the particular activities, stories, and poems chosen? What are the authors saying about boyhood? Are they right?

This review was written by Matt Berman

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This review was written by Matt Berman
Authors:Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
Book type:Non-Fiction
Genre:Activity
Publisher:Collins
Publication date:May 1, 2007
Number of pages:270
Hardcover price:$24.95
Publisher's recommended age(s):10 - 14
Read aloud:10
Read alone:10
This review was written by Matt Berman
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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