MotherTalk Blog Tour: The Dangerous Book for Boys

When I received my copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys, for the unprecedented 20-blog MotherTalk tour, I had to hold it in my hands and admire it. It's a sturdy hardcover and, while it's not glossy with full-color photos on every page, it's got plenty of pictures, diagrams and information -- 270 pages of it, divided up into digestable two- to six-page chapters.

As I flipped through the pages, even before reading beyond the chapter titles, I felt transported. Was there really a time when boys spent their days holed up in treehouses or playing stickball in the street until the street lights came on? When kids amused themselves playing pen-and-paper games, skipping stones on a pond, shooting marbles and teaching their dogs tricks? It feels to me like a fairy tale, in this day of Game Boys, instant messaging and structured after-school activities.

I also felt glad that the author included "Seven Poems Every Boy Should Know," "Books Every Boy Should Read," and "Girls," which offers practical, succinct advice on a touchy subject, including "listen" and "avoid being vulgar." And I wanted to delve right into the chapters on simple games like chess, marbles and stick ball, and those that teach lost-art skills like making a pinhole projector, a bow and arrow, a battery, and even a paper hat, boat and water bomb.

My husband didn't even notice the chapters about poems and stories, and the games and stuff to make? Well, he claims he already knows all that. He's kind of a know-it-all anyway (but a lovable one). Brian does think this is a cool book of general knowledge. However, he points out that it's pretty deep -- precise, not trivial -- and one will have to be a strong, interested reader to enjoy it. He liked "Making a Go-Cart" but wondered why the authors bothered with "The Solar System." He felt that, in some ways, the book tries to be too much.

When I asked Brian what makes the book for boys, since I'm interested in much of what it covers, he pointed out the chapters on war and sports. "But girls like sports," I countered.

"'How to Play Poker,'" he replied. "'A Brief History of Artillery', 'Insects and Spiders', 'Making a Bow and Arrow,' 'Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit' ... "

"OK, OK, you win." I had to concede that it's a book targeted to boys' interests. Although I do plan to read it so I can impress my husband with my knowledge of Waterloo and Ben and John with my knowledge of, um, everything. It will likely be a few years before my five- and six-year-old boys can read this book, so there's time for me to act like I "just knew how" to make a periscope and a simple elecromagnet.

As far as being dangerous goes, I do think the book is dangerous in the sense that knowledge is power. I've always liked to read, but not until my adult years did I fully understand how books could help me through life. The fact is, there's not too much that we can't overcome with knowledge. When we learn that -- when we learn -- we become powerful and, well, look out world!

Two things are for sure. One, I'm buying my 14-year-old nephew a copy for his birthday, since there's no way I'm giving up my review copy. (Want to win a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys? Enter HarperCollins' contest .) Two, there simply must be a follow-up to this book. Who's up to the task of writing The Dangerous Book for Girls? And what kinds of knowledge do you think it should include?