Do Not Open [Hardcover]

John Farndon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In the groundbreaking tradition of DK's New York Times bestseller Pick Me Up, this book uses the same irreverent style to explore all the things THEY don't want you know about. From the Mona Lisa's hidden past to the history of Area 51, Do Not Open explores lost worlds, unravels secret codes, and lets readers step through the looking glass to see if they can handle the truth! AUTHOR BIO:

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–9—This entertaining look at oddities, mysteries, and unexplained phenomena successfully adapts the innovative format first seen in Pick Me Up (DK, 2006). Nearly 100 topics are covered, mostly on spreads, each with a unique look. "Who Are the Men in Black?" uses a captioned street map to present facts and theories (Nazca Lines, Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis), for example, while cases of "Spontaneous Combustion" appear on illustrations of burning paper. Occasional foldouts, liftable flaps, and vertical page turns add more variety. Beyond the strong visual appeal, many layouts convey information effectively, such as the color-coded flow chart that tracks the mysterious disappearance of "Lord Lucan." Individual entries can stand alone, but cross-references at the bottom of the page encourage jumps to related topics in a manner that simulates Web page links. "Hidden Gold," for instance, can lead to "Paris Underground," "Kremlin," and further exploration. With rare exceptions, cross-reference series are not circular, so starting at a random page sets off a long series of intriguing leaps. The index provides access to specific topics, though broader subjects applying to several entries, such as "crime" or "spying," do not appear. Most libraries will discard the clever cardboard packaging that simulates a silver jail cell, but the overflowing collage of images on the regular cover works fine. The exciting design, cleverly organized information, and perennial kid-appeal of the topics should make this a popular title, and it may easily lead readers to pursue other books on topics that catch their interest.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

". . . a colorful book filled with unexplained mysteries, bizarre anecdotes through the ages, great escapes, codes, optical illusions, hoaxes, and explanations of secret systems and complexes." -- Boingboing.net

"Do Not Open comes peeking out from between the bars of its own little prison door and will. . . make children immediately ignore the warning of its title. . . This is a good bet for pre-(and full) teens." -- The Wall Street Journal, December 2007

Awarded by the Voice of Youth Advocates organization -- VOYA Nonfiction Honor List, 2008

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (November 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756632056
• ISBN-13: 978-0756632052
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LONDON-BASED AUTHOR JOHN FARNDON studied earth sciences and English literature at Cambridge University but has since written on just about every topic imaginable. He has written over 300 books, which have sold millions of copies around the world in most major languages and include many best-sellers, such as the award-winning 'Do Not Open', which became a cult-hit in the USA as well as featuring on the New York Times and Washington Post best-seller lists. In earlier years, he wrote mostly for children, and has been shortlisted a record four times for the junior Science Book prize. But recently he has been writing for adults too.
Many of his books have on popular science, and in particular earth science and nature, and environmental issues, including'How the Earth Works', 'The Wildlife Atlas', 'The Dictionary of the Earth'. He was a major contributor to the Smithsonian's 'Earth' and 'Science' encyclopedias His 'Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks and Minerals' (not as dry as it sounds!) has recently been one of the top 15 selling books for Scientific American. The 'Atlas of Oceans, his big book on endangered life in the oceans, for Yale in the USA (A&C Black in the UK and Australian Geographic in Australia) garnered glowing reports prepublication from major figures in the USA such as the Cousteaus, Carl Safina, and Harm de Blij.
But he has covered a wide range of topics, including many books on contemporary issues such as 'Everything you should know about Iran', 'China Rises') and '101 Facts You Should Know about Food'. He also writes on the history of science and idea. In 2010, his book for Icon 'Do You Think You're Clever?' was a best-seller and was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Education Award. 'The World's Greatest Idea' was selected as one of the top 50 books of the year in South Africa.
He has a growing following on his internet sites, including podcasts and blogs, and is also a playwright and songwriter, whose work has been performed at such theatres as the Donmar and Almeida in London and the Salisbury Playhouse. Songs of his have been selected many times for the Sondheim Singing prize and other showcases.

http://www.johnfarndon.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Please open "Do Not Open", November 7, 2007

By 

S. burch "inkdrinker" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do Not Open (Hardcover)

Do Not Open by John Farndon
DK's Eyewitness books have always been a favorite of mine. With their illustration rich pages and text sprinkled throughout like museum exhibit copy they offer an innovative way to learn. Rather than read a book straight through the user can jump around exploring the pictures and captions which catch his or her eye. In this way these books are very much like a visit to a museum.

This simple trick is something new to most school age children. Having always been required to read all of something, they delight in the chance to enjoy reading in a different way.

"Do Not Open" takes the DK style to a new level. The illustrations are so diverse and packed in they begin to feel frantic. This visual frenzy draws the reader in and forces him/her to want to read more and more. Illustration styles cover the gambit, from cartoons to photos to fine line drawing to comic book styles to collages. Page to page the style changes. This breakneck pace is only increased by the text. Unlike previous DK books I have enjoyed "Do Not Open" doesn't have large blocks of set text. Much of the reading floats around the pages in small quick spurts of information. Individual sets of pages can be read in seconds. Also, unlike previous DK books this book's theme is the diversity of the odd and quirky of the world. So, each page set is its own topic. Each time the reader turns a page they are reading something completely unrelated to what went before. However, at the bottom of each page set the reader is given pages to jump to in order to read about something related in so way shape or form. These page connections are very much like links on an Internet page and they allow a reader to "surf' this book. With these page "links" a reader can actually begin reading on any page and allow what attracts them to guide their book experience. Very innovative design work will make this book appeal to our digital generation who have never known a world without the web.

The content is also unique. In some ways it reminded me of the old "Ripley's Believe It or Not" books. It ranges from art to history and science to spies. A great deal of ground is covered and loads of interesting trivia is revealed.

I can only suggest one improvement if the book is revised in the future. I would have liked to have had suggested further readings. These suggestions could be web sites, books, or both, but I often found myself wanting to know more about the topics and the book didn't give me anywhere else to go to fill this hunger. That's a pretty minor issue but still one I would hope would be resolved in the future.

All in all this is a great book and will appeal to young readers between 9 and 14 and possibly even older. It certainly appealed to this reader and I haven't seen those ages in quite a long time.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Half silly, half serious, all terrific, November 30, 2007

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Do Not Open (Hardcover)

A compilation of weird and wonderful trivia illustrated with what must be thousands of fun and whimsical images, this outstanding book is a great bathroom read. Each subject is covered with a just a paragraph or two, and there are so many topics! Randomly flipping open the pages I find info about Mark Felt's secret identity as Watergate's Deep Throat, the Rosetta Stone, spontaneous combustion, Elvis' secret identity as "Jon Burrows," the secrets behind common magic tricks, "Top Tips for Breaking The Time Barrier", the tribes of the rain forest... I could go on forever.

Usually books like this seem thrown together, with out-of-date info and cheap graphics. This one is just the opposite. What I especially like is the variety of art. The credits page lists 12 illustrators; it seems like about a hundred.

By the way, the book doesn't look like the image shown above. That's its reflective silver storage box. The book cover, which you see peeking out behind the bars, is a colorful collage of the various art inside. True to the spirit of the book's title, the box has a magnetic hinge, which makes it difficult to open.

It has a companion title, Pick Me Up.

65 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, December 12, 2007

By 

goodcupofcoffee (Florida, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Do Not Open (Hardcover)

My daughter enjoys reading interesting facts and trivia, so I ordered this book as a Christmas present after reading such good reviews for it here. However, unlike the other reviewers, I was disappointed when the book arrived. I found this book a little too 'dark' - serial criminals, grisly crimes and murders, spooky places, mysterious hauntings and happenings. A little TOO macabre for my taste; and it'll definitely give my daughter the hibbie-jibbies.

I also question what's in this book; are these authenticated facts, or do they tend to lean toward the 'urban legend' version (just to make it spookier)?

Lastly, some of the print in this book rivals the finest fine print in the best legal documents. You might be advised to order a magnifying glass to go with it. I've returned the book to amazon.