The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Hit play or go to Link[YouTube] for a neat video for the book.

Connand Hal Iggulden's "TheDangerous Book for Boys" is the one book that I wish I had when I was a young boy. In today's age of computer and video games, this book reminds you that there is still a place for knots, go-karts, treehouses, as well as stories of adventure and courage.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is more than just a book -it's a manual on how to recapture Sunday afternoons and long summer days. It covers things that belong in the quintessential boyhood, like the five knots every boy should know, how to navigate using a compass (or a
watch or a stick if you don't have a compass - yes, it can be done), and how to make invisible ink (how? With urine, of course!)

Can't tell the difference between latitude and longitude? This book will set you straight - it has general (well, for boys anyways) knowledge chapters on dinosaurs, famous battles, ciphers, and more. It even has a chapter on - gasp - girls! More on this later.

The book itself is gorgeous: the red hardcover version harkens back to the good ol' days of classy books, complete with marbled paper inside the covers. True to form, there is an instruction inside on how to make your own marbled paper!

When it was first released in the UK (this review covers the US version), the book quickly became the number one seller on Amazon UK. But it wasn't free of controversy: The Dangerous Book for Boys is not a stereotypical children's book - it celebrates the rough-and-tumble nature of boys and unapologetically states that "boys will be boys." They always have been and always will be different from girls.

OK, enough intro, let's take a peek at the book:

Girls

You may already have noticed that girls are quite different from you. By this, we do not mean the physical differences, more the fact that they remain unimpressed by your mastery of a game involving wizards, or your understanding of Morse code. Some will be impressed, of course, but as a general rule, girls do not get quite as excited by the use of urine as a secret ink as boys do.

We thought long and hard about what advice could possible be suitable. It is an inescapable fact that boys spend a great deal of their lives thinking and dreaming about girls, so the subject should be mentioned here - as delicately as possible.

Here's a select choice of advice (for the complete list, get the book - hey, these kinds of valuable advice aren't free!):

3. When you are older, flowers really do work - women love them. When you are young, however, there is a ghastly sense of being
awkward rather than romantic - and she will guess your mother boughtthem.

4. Valentine's Day cards. Do not put your name on them. The whole point is the excitement a girl feels, wondering who finds her attractive. If it says "From Brian" on it, the magic isn't really there. This is actually quite a nice thing to do to someone you don't think will get a card. If you do this, it is even more important that you never say, "I sent you one because I thought you wouldn't get any." Keep the cards. simple. You do not want one with fancy stuff of any kind.

If there ever was a book to make your boys (age 8 to 80!) turn off the Playstation and actually go out and play, this is it. Definitely worth checking out. Here's the link: The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Now, HarperCollins has generously sponsored a book giveaway to kick off the launch of The Dangerous Book for Boys. If you want a FREE copy of the book, visit the website and then tell us (in Neatorama's comment section) your most memorable Sunday afternoon experience/activity with your father/son or an advice some fun and educational (funducational?) activity to do with your child on those long summer days. Make it good, because best comments win (while supplies last).