I purchased Conn and Hal Iggulden's The Dangerous Book for Boys recently for my oldest son who is currently nine-years-old and in fourth grade. I was intrigued by the title, and did a little research online to find out more about it. After seeing tons of positive reviews on Amazon and other places, I ordered the book.

When it arrived, I was instantly smitten with the book. Both inside and out it seems like a throwback to an earlier era, one where the adventurous spirit in boys was nourished and encouraged. In our current climate, parents are much more protective because of the societal dangers we face with predators and the like, and this often translates into fewer freedoms for our sons to explore all the adventures that boys in bygone eras took for granted as natural rites of passage.

The book has a little bit of everything. There are what I call the obligatory "learn stuff, dude" chapters, dealing with such topics as astronomy and the solar system; history, grammar, Latin, and compilations of suggested readings. Though educational in nature, they are presented in such a fun and engaging format, that the learning "sneaks up" on you. Plus, I think these chapters cover topics of interest to boys, such as war strategy, etc.

There are also chapters devoted to purely fun pursuits such as card games, codes and ciphers, juggling, and how to build a go-cart.

I have a couple of caveats, however. One is for Christian parents who may espouse a Creationistic point of view, as our family does. The chapters on dinosaurs, etc. are written from an evolutionary standpoint. In contrast, however, there is a chapter that discusses the Ten Commandments. The other caveat is for pacifist families and/or families who oppose the killing of animals for sport. There are topics covering tanning an animal hide, as well as how to hunt rabbit.

As I stated, when the book came, I was pretty enthusiastic about it. But how do boys in the target audience feel about it? My son reads it for fun in addition to the assigned reading for home school. Additionally, he really wants to make the go-cart, and has begun scouting out the parts necessary for such an undertaking! I asked him why he liked the book, and he said, "Because it tells you all kinds of cool stuff!" I couldn't get anything more specific out of him, (hey, he's a nine-year-old boy!), but he was certainly positive in his praise and appreciation of the book.

Book Specs:

Author(s): Conn and Hal Iggulden
Version reviewed: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Publisher: Collins
Year published US: 2007; UK: 2006
ISBN-10: 0061243582
ISBN-13: 978-0061243582