The Dangerous Book for Boys

Great book for boys age 10+. Covers myriad fun, useful and unusual topics. Ex: Flags, how to build a tree house, English grammar (much better than it sounds), How to catch, clean, and cook a rabbit, knots, how to behave with girls. The mind boggles.

I have purchased several copies of this book throughout the years. This Christmas I purchased 3 copies. When my 12 yr old great grandson received his book last night, he commented "Now I have my own copy!" I had given his father this same book years ago and the boy had been reading it. It's perfect for 10-12-14 year old boys.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is an entertaining and informative nonfiction book that blends practical skills, classic games, science, and history into one engaging guide. It sparks curiosity and hands-on learning.

"I don't want to do anything but get fat and pasty and sit in front of a video screen." Has any boy ever said that? Of course not. But sadly, these days that's exactly what so many of them do. This book makes a good antidote. A clear-cut, easy-to-use guide for parents to help their children live full childhoods, it serves a role similar to books like What Your First Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge Series) . Much like lessons in a textbook, the various topics each stand alone on their own pages and are illustrated with drawings, photographs, or both. And it's not just Tom Sawyer stuff. The book also includes academic topics such as grammar, geography, the solar system, even the Ten Commandments. See that table-of-contents-like list above, on this page's "product description"? That's less than half of what's here! There are 46 other articles, too, each one to four pages long: 1. Essential Gear 2. Questions About the World 3. Making a Battery 4. The Rules of Soccer 5. Dinosaurs 6. Understanding Grammar 7. Table Football 8. U.S. Naval Flag Codes 9. Making Crystals 10. Insects and Spiders 11. Juggling 12. Making a Paper Hat, Boat and Water Bomb 13. Astronomy -- the Study of the Heavens 14. Marbling Paper 15. First Aid 16. Map of the United States 17. Extraordinary Stories 18. Making Cloth Fireproof 19. Building a Workbench 20. Pocket Light 21. Five Pen-and-Paper Games 22. The Golden Age of Piracy 23. A Simple Electromagnet 24. Secret Inks 25. Sampling Shakespeare 26. Grinding an Italic Nib 27. The Moon Pinhole Projector Charting the Universe Dog Tricks Wrapping a Package in Brown Paper and String 28. Star Maps 29. Seven Poems Every Boy Should Know 30. Coin Tricks 31. Light 32. Latin Phrases Every Boy Should Know 33. How to Play Poker 34. Marbles 35. A Brief History of Artillery 36. The Origin of Words 37. The Solar System 38. The Game of Chess 39. Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit 40. Tanning a Skin 41. Growing Sunflowers 42. Role-Playing Games 43. Seven Modern Wonders of the World 44. Books Every Boy Should Read 45. Standard and Metric Measurements 46. Dangerous Book for Boys Badges All in all, "The Dangerous Book for Boys" has only two flaws. First, the old-fashioned cover implies these subjects are more suited to Great Grandpa's memories than young Junior's life of today. But juggling? Chess? Soccer? What's so old-time about this stuff? Second, why "Boys"? "What's wrong with teaching our daughter how to tie a bowline, or make a paper airplane, or build a go cart?" my husband asked as he flipped through it. I guess the author, or publisher, is aware there's not much out there for parents of young boys and is trying to zero-in on that deserving niche. To sum up, then, this book is useful even if you're the most modern of all families, even if you don't have a son. If you actually use it, it will become far more valuable to your child's happiness and sense of self than any video-game console, DVD, computer, or especially -- such blasphemy! -- the latest iPod. There's so much here to help your kid be a kid.

Got this for my nephews 13th birthday. I thumbed through it & it seems perfect. It’s got facts & stories & games & adventures that I think he’ll find interesting. I’m excited to gift it to him. I specifically wanted something not video game related & this has plenty of stuff to keep him busy & off the screens for a bit!

I got this book for our three grandsons, ages 7, 5, and 2. I expected the oldest one would be the most interested, and yes, he was fascinated with all the exciting projects. He spent a long time looking through it with his dad, our son, and my husband, Papa. And the adults were just as interested! I could see the imagination wheels turning in our grandson's head. I think this will provide lots of fuel for imaginative, wholesome activities for him and his smaller brothers as they grow! It is also a great way for fathers and sons to connect and create fun adventures and memories together!

Before purchasing the book some time ago for my son, I read the "1 star" reviews first. The complaints there fell generally into one of two camps. Either it wasn't edgy enough or it was like a watered down version of the boy scout manual. Shameful as it is to say, I didn't purchase it based on these reviews. I am an eagle scout and was brought up with a love for knowledge and exploration and yet, I hated much of the scouting program. To my mind it was too diluted and attempted at every turn to turn the mantra "safety first" into "the whole world should be bubble-wrapped but isn't, so don't ever risk anything". Childhood is the time to make mistakes while the stakes is still small and the consequences are generally mild. But due in large part to the litigious and politically obsequious climate in our society, I find myself chafing at the restrictions of our pretend adventures. A watered-down scout handbook was the last thing I wanted. I happened upon a copy in-store and took the time to peruse its pages. I was astonished by the broad expanse of the knowledge it contained. While the book certainly caters to younger minds, I found myself giddy that there were other people in the world who valued the skills of bushcraft as well as the sciences, literature and history. But most of all I found that the book captured an overall narative of the virtues of manliness, which are, contrary to popular opinion, patience, kindness and humility. This narrative is well evinced by a quote inscribed in the first few pages: "Don't swagger. The boy who swaggers - like the man who swaggers - has little else that he can do. He is a cheap-Jack crying his own paltry wares. It is the empty tin that rattles most". I have only returned to leave this review as I needed a copy for my youngest boy as well.

Un superbe bouquin qui fourmille d’activités infos etc, à lire par le père et le fils , dommage qu’il n’existe pas d’édition française

We bought this book for our 9 year old son. He loves it and considers it the best book he has ever owned.

Bereits mehrfach in der deutschen Fassung gekauft, nun erstmals auf Englisch. Das Buch ist einfach ein tolles Geschenk. Wir haben es jetzt schon vier Mal zur Geburt verschenkt ( auch in der Mädels-Variante) und nun für Bekannte in Irland, die drei Jungs haben und viel Outdoor unterwegs sind. Wir verschenken dieses Buch so gern. Es lohnt sich definitiv, die gebundenen Ausgaben zu nehmen, wenn es ein Geschenk sein soll, da es einfach hochwertiger ist. Die englische Version ist im Format etwas breiter, dafür hat es etwas weniger Seiten, als die deutsche Variante. Aber ansonsten gibt es hinsichtlich Qualität und Inhalt keine Unterschiede. Es gibt wenige Dinge, von denen wir so begeistert sind. Von diesem Buch sind wir es allerdings sehr und würden es immer wieder kaufen. Natürlich haben wir es uns auch selbst gekauft ;)

I got this book for my 6 years old son! I couldn't wait till he is 8! It has fun ideas that are definitely necessary to raise a happy child, Boy or girl!

mi è piaciuta la varietò degli argomenti trattati, molto diversi tra loro. tanti piccoli dettagli che attivano la mente del curioso