The Big Book of Boy Stuff, updated

by Bart King, Chris Sabatino (Illustrator)

Overview

Updated Edition

After Bart King interviewed hundreds of the wisest guys and smartest alecks for The Big Book of Boy Stuff, something awesome happened: the book became a classic! Hailed by critics and kids alike, it has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and even won awards. In this updated and redesigned tenth anniversary edition, hijinks and hilarity are still front and center. Within these pages, boys can find a myriad of things to do, things to laugh at, and things they didn’t know.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423637615
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	09/01/2014
Series:	Children's Activity
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 18 Years

About the Author

Bart King, the veteran of many water balloon wars, taught middle school for many years. He’s written other cool books, including The Big Book of Superheroes, The Pocket Guide to Girl Stuff, and The Big Book of Gross Stuff. Visit his website at www.bartking.net.

Read an Excerpt

If you think a boy can turn to any page in this book and find something to do, laugh at, or think about, you’re right.

I began work on this project by consulting writers from ages past. Starting with the perspective of an older time, I found a variety of suggested activities for boys that today’s safety-conscious culture can’t stomach—bottle-rocket wars at midnight, survival hikes, rifle practice with live ammunition, skydiving without a helmet, that sort of thing. Yet while I researched these works with wide eyes, I couldn’t help wondering whether (with the proper precautions) some of these dangerous activities were more preferable for a boy than, say, video games.

A book by Boy Scouts founder and World War I veteran Sir Robert Baden-Powell described three indispensable elements of a boy’s world: “Fun, feeding, and fighting.” Although this sounds simplistic and rambunctious, my mind kept returning to that phrase: Fun, feeding, and fighting.

As a longtime middle school teacher, I believe there is some truth to Sir Baden-Powell’s statement. (To his list, I would add a few more elements, like sports, noise, and a fascination with bodily functions.) If you give a boy a doll (oops, I mean “action figure”!), the odds are good that he’ll eventually use it as a sword or try to blow it up. So my hope is that the specters of social nicety and fear of litigation have been held at bay just long enough to infuse these pages with the spirit of true boyish fun. (But don’t worry; there are no references to bare-knuckle boxing or live ammo in here!)

I hope the result is a book in which a boy may turn to any page and find something to do, laugh at, or think about. Just like you thought!

Table of Contents

Adult Introduction 9

Boy Introduction 10

Activities! 11

Dogs and Others! 26

Dumb Directions on Products! 35

Emergencies! 38

Experiments! 43

Fireworks and Explosions! 56

Flying Things! 65

Fun in the Outdoors! 80

Gadgets, Tools, and Toys! 92

Indoor Games! 100

Outdoor Games! 113

Girls, Bullies, and Parties! 127

Gross Stuff! 133

Halloween! 155

Holidays! 159

Insults! 168

Jokes! 174

Juggling and Yo-Yos! 186

Magic! 195

Making Faces! Making Sounds! 209

Man Food for Manhood! 217

Practical Jokes! 234

Rhetorical Questions! 247

Riddles! 250

Slang! 259

Storytelling! 264

Tongue Twisters Rule! 272

Video Games! 274

Weapons! 275

Famous Last Words! 287

Acknowledgments 289

Recommended Reading! 290

Bibliography 298

Editorial Reviews

This book will perfectly entertain all boys who love experiments, weird facts, gross stuff, flying things, and armpit bagpipes among other adventuresome boy stuff.

Los Angeles Family

Hilarious, disgusting... It's fast, often rude, very funny and features great illustrations... Adults are liable to appreciate this book every bit as much as typical 'boys.

Statesman Journal

Written for both adults and kids, this book is perfect for mothers who didn't have brothers and are ill-prepared for what behavior to expect as their boys become men ... This book is very funny, useful and approved by the Federal Burping Institute.

Chicago Parent

The ultimate compilation of everything you possibly could need to know about being a guy.... the book is chock-full of enough fun to keep the reader occupied for hours on end.... nearly impossible to put down.

Post and Courier

Bart King's new book was written for boys - but it also appeals to people who used to be boys, or who have raised boys or married boys, or who were raised with brothers and would still like to get even.

Deseret News

Bored kids will find plenty of reasons to pry themselves off the couch with a handful of new titles. A compendium of non-P.C. games and facts, The Big Book of Boy Stuff by Bart King wants boys to be boys. Genuinely funny, King covers gliders (how to make them), a q&a about girls, tips for dealing with bullies, ideas for outdoor activities and much more, interspersed with jokes and asides. On finding wild animals while camping: "You cannot expect them to behave like a dog or a cat, even if the bear seems friendly or if the chipmunk is really cute." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-8-This is a very uneven book, with some sections highly creative, informative, and fun and others almost insulting to youngsters (in one paragraph on how to make noises the author states, "being able to make a farting or bombing sound is very important to your career as a boy"). King begins by chastising those readers who might be looking for political correctness and warns that this title will be gross at times but suggests that he is offering what boys really want. Alphabetically arranged chapters range from "Dumb Directions on Products" to "Girls, Bullies and Parties," to "Man Food for Manhood!" (Spamburgers, crapola cookies, etc.), and include activities, jokes, and a few facts. The author points out that boys should really know how to use the kitchen and provides first-date advice. Unfortunately, his tone is so casual that the good suggestions he presents are likely to be lost in the silliness and the "boys will be boys" approach. The long list of reading recommendations gives no indication of age appropriateness.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal