The Boys' Book: How to Be the Best at Everything [Hardcover]

Dominique Enright (Author), Guy MacDonald (Author), Nikalas Catlow (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Best at Everything

A spiffy guide to anything and everything a boy needs to know!

How to do almost anything in one handy book.
Found yourself in a sticky situation? Inside you'll learn how to escape quicksand (p. 40), build a raft (p.41), start a survival fire (p.99), or fly a helicopter (p. 11).
Want to impress your friends? Now you can rip a phonebook in half (p. 35), hypnotize a chicken (p. 56), or read their minds (p. 73).
Boring Saturday afternoon? Not anymore when you find out how to make a waterbomb (p. 79), a boomerang (p. 95), or a volcano (p. 88).
And loads of other keen things you need to know how to do!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Both of these titles are filled with fun tidbits and suggestions for "beating the rest" at myriad interesting things. They are certain to be popular with readers who have plenty of free time and an adventurous spirit. Examples of more than 150 combined skills ranging from benign (making bubble bath) to outrageous (ripping a phone book in half) to outrageously exaggerated (how to survive in outer space/how to cope if zombies attack). The titles open with disclaimers disavowing any responsibility for accidents or injuries incurred from acting on the information contained within—these texts must be used with heavy doses of common sense. The boys' text contains the more outlandish tips—"Fight off a crocodile." "Escape quicksand." In Girls, the suggestions are more sedentary: "Give yourself a perfect manicure." "Knit with your fingers." "Grow a crystal." But if taken in the spirit of fun, many readers will enjoy the experiences while those with an underdeveloped sense of irony might be better off skipping certain entries.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545016282
• ISBN-13: 978-0545016285
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Girl Scouts & Girl Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the "best" of its genre, September 18, 2007

By 

Lakiesha "Lakiesha" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boys' Book: How to Be the Best at Everything (Hardcover)

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it is a lot of fun, nicely illustrated, and it has a number of features that are appealing to boys (and girls).

On the other hand, this book is unabashedly derivative of the funnier and more comprehensive The Big Book of Boy Stuff and the better designed The Dangerous Book for Boys. This leaves How to Be the Best at Everything running in third place for prospective book buyers.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 11, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boys' Book: How to Be the Best at Everything (Hardcover)

Although not as comprehensive and complete as Bart King's amazing Big Book of Boy Stuff, The, this book is a good start for younger boys (and girls!) looking to impress their friends with how awesome they can be.

If you've ever wondered how to fly a helicopter, or needed to know how to avoid being eaten by a bear, or planned to show your superhuman strength by ripping a phone book in half, then THE BOYS' BOOK is for you.

This short guide (less than 120 pages) is filled with tips, tricks, hints, and helpful knowledge that anyone can use to make themselves look like a genius. Because, as you know, not everyone knows how to survive a volcanic eruption, freeze a finger, get an egg into a bottle, or send a message by semaphore.

Optimus sum. Which, by the way, means "I am the best" in Latin.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boys life, November 30, 2007

By 

JimM "Jim" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boys' Book: How to Be the Best at Everything (Hardcover)

My grandson is 10 years old. He said that it was the best book he'd ever read.