Parents' Guide to Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing Boys Who Changed the World Without Killing Dragons

Young readers will find this lively, inspiring collection of stories appealing and accessible. It covers artists, inventors, writers, athletes, actors, explorers, politicians, and more. A celebration of difference, Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different highlights some people who broke gender or sexual identity boundaries, including Oscar Wilde, Harvey Milk, and makeup artist and international cosmetics mogul Jeffree Star. The main takeaway throughout the book is that it's OK to be different, and being different can lead to doing great things. It also shows there are all kinds of ways to be strong and successful, thereby expanding the concepts of masculinity and heroism. Illustrator Quinton Wintor's engaging portraits highlight key aspects of each person's life or career.

One quibble is that author Ben Brooks' mini-biographical sketches often leave out basic details that young readers might not miss but would be helpful for context -- details such as where the person lives or lived, or when certain events happened. A birth date or birth-death date range appears under the person's name atop each bio, but sometimes that's the bare minimum to orient the reader. For example, in the profile of Ludwig Van Beethoven, there's no mention that he was German or lived in Austria. The core tale of what happened to the person "at school" or "at home" is what comes through.