Reading The Dangerous Book for Boys by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden is like coming across an old trunk in an attic. The book is full of forgotten treasures, tantalizing challenges and bits of history, science and adventure sure to stir the hearts of boys. It’s not a book you read in order, but a wonderfully jumbled collection of surprises. There are instructions for folding The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World ; building tree houses, go-carts and electromagnets; making and shooting a bow and arrow; speaking Navajo; finding north with a watch; and on and on. Mixed in are tales of great battles; the adventures of explorers, fighter pilots and mountain climbers; primers on grammar, Latin, astronomy, insects and trees; along with advice on everything from first aid to talking with girls the sort of things, say the Igguldens, that every boy should know. The style is delightfully man to man, as though the authors are imparting secrets of the brotherhood of man to those who wish to join the ranks. Fathers will enjoy this as a memory of their own childhood or even as a chance to try some things they didn’t learn themselves. And as for boys, I can’t think of anything better to hide casually on a shelf for a boy to discover on a boring, rainy day it’s sure to spur once again the adventure that is growing up.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
