The Pocket Guide to Games

by Bart King

Overview

A bestselling compendium of more than 100 active and quiet physical games that can be played by youngsters, oldsters, and anyone in between.

The tradition of game playing without computers, joysticks, boards, or game pieces is celebrated in this collection of games that can be played by all ages. With tools such as balls, beanbags, broomsticks, and ropes, parents and teachers can organize dozens of hours of fun and challenging activities for parties, summer camps, neighborhood gatherings, and school groups. Includes active games and quiet games in a range of variations including:

• Bull in the Ring
• Cross Tag
• Do This, Do That
• Kaleidoscope
• Lady of the Land
• Old Buzzard
• Potato Race
• Shadow Tag, and more!

Lexile: 1020L

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423611288
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	10/29/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Bart King has written more than twenty-eight books, including The Big Book of Boy Stuff, The Big Book of Spy Stuff, and The Pocket Guide to Mischief. His books for Gibbs Smith have sold more than 830,000 copies combined. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Read an Excerpt

This is not a set-up for a bad joke. If you've ever grinned for a long period of time, you know that facial muscles can cramp up painfully. And one day a week, my mug convulsed during my homeroom period. Monday through Thursday mornings I provided academic tutoring for my seventh graders, but Friday was Game

Table of Contents

Introduction …9

Miscellaneous

Active Games…19

Quiet Games…133

Contests, Feats and Tussles…151

Editorial Reviews

Bart King is my new hero. On the surface, his books might look like they’re getting by on being similar to the ubiquitous Dangerous Book for Boys. King’s pocket guides—with illustrations of paper airplanes, Chuck Taylors, and a slingshot on their covers—do cash in on that kind of scrappy retro charm. But these books are something entirely different.

These books are hilarious. And informative—if you want to know how to get the best of your nemesis or play toilet tag. What makes these special is not only that they’re well-written, well-designed, and funny, but also that they present information that is actually new and actually useful (again, useful to the sorts of people who like to play toilet tag).

A few tantalizing sample tastes:
From The Pocket Guide to Mischief: “You’ll need some cream cheese. First, roll the deodorant out maybe half an inch . . .”
From The Pocket Guide to Games: “Fill several balloons with water, and hang one from a tree . . .”
From The Pocket Guide to Boy Stuff: “Here are two hand-grenade designs that you can use that won’t start a fire . . .”

If these don’t seem gender-neutral enough, and you have a daughter who is into this kind of thing, rest assured that Bart King also has girl versions: The Big Book of Girl Stuff gracefully and barely touches on puberty, but includes plenty of pranks, code names, and hijinx for kids who like bright pink more than baseballs on the covers of their books.

Should someone you know be interested, visit the author’s web site: www.bartking.net. It includes video clips illustrating some of the guides’ proposed activities!

Kidoinfo - Katy Killilea

"Learn the official rules to more than 90 classics"

Real Simple

"This small guidebook can slip into your pocket and be just the reference you need when it is time to play at all manner of gatherings. The games that author Bart King features are all introduced with a description of the number of players needed and amount of space required before going on to tell how the game is played."

North Shore News

"This pocket-sized compendium is a thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of games for all occasions and circumstances and especially recommended as a school physical education curriculum supplement as well as personal and family gaming reference library collections."

Midwest Book Review

"Pick up 'The Pocket Guide to Games,' by Bart King. This new book coaxes readers away from TV and computer screens and outside to enjoy the summer. "Good Morning America" tried horseshoes, bocce balls and popcorn bowling. What's popcorn bowling? This game requires taking ten empty soda bottles, filling them with unpopped popcorn kernels, lining them up like bowling pins and knocking them down!"

Good Morning America

Bart King is my new hero. On the surface, his books might look like they're getting by on being similar to the ubiquitous Dangerous Book for Boys. King's pocket guides-with illustrations of paper airplanes, Chuck Taylors, and a slingshot on their covers-do cash in on that kind of scrappy retro charm. But these books are something entirely different.

These books are hilarious. And informative-if you want to know how to get the best of your nemesis or play toilet tag. What makes these special is not only that they're well-written, well-designed, and funny, but also that they present information that is actually new and actually useful (again, useful to the sorts of people who like to play toilet tag).

A few tantalizing sample tastes:
From The Pocket Guide to Mischief: "You'll need some cream cheese. First, roll the deodorant out maybe half an inch . . ."
From The Pocket Guide to Games: "Fill several balloons with water, and hang one from a tree . . ."
From The Pocket Guide to Boy Stuff: "Here are two hand-grenade designs that you can use that won't start a fire . . ."

If these don't seem gender-neutral enough, and you have a daughter who is into this kind of thing, rest assured that Bart King also has girl versions: The Big Book of Girl Stuff gracefully and barely touches on puberty, but includes plenty of pranks, code names, and hijinx for kids who like bright pink more than baseballs on the covers of their books.

Should someone you know be interested, visit the author's web site: bartking.net. It includes video clips illustrating some of the guides' proposed activities!
— Katy Killilea

Kidoinfo