Guys Write for Guys Read
Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys' Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys by John Scieszka
More than 80 authors have to come together to share stories about the good, the bad, the ugly, and hilarity that is being a boy. This book has it all. From traditional short stories, to laugh-out-loud comic strips.
This book is the first in a series connected with the larger "Guys Read" movement spearheaded by John Scieszka. I loved this book and can't wait for the rest of the series to be published.*
The Bad
Really the only bad thing here is that they had to limit it to just under 300 pages.
The Good
The great thing about this book - and really, there are so many great things - is that there's something for everyone here. You may not love every entry in the book, but everyone can find something they connect to. This is a great read-by-yourself book, or a good book to read with someone. It's one of those books you can keep coming back to again and again.
What Next
How to keep a journal
How to draw a comic strip
How to write a good story
*Technically Guys Read: Funny Business (which has been published and is currently available in all major book stores...and probably some not-so-major ones too) is the first book in the Guys Read Library, but Guys Write for Guys Read is kind of what got the ball rolling, so I'm including it.
More than 80 authors have to come together to share stories about the good, the bad, the ugly, and hilarity that is being a boy. This book has it all. From traditional short stories, to laugh-out-loud comic strips.
This book is the first in a series connected with the larger "Guys Read" movement spearheaded by John Scieszka. I loved this book and can't wait for the rest of the series to be published.*
The Bad
Really the only bad thing here is that they had to limit it to just under 300 pages.
The Good
The great thing about this book - and really, there are so many great things - is that there's something for everyone here. You may not love every entry in the book, but everyone can find something they connect to. This is a great read-by-yourself book, or a good book to read with someone. It's one of those books you can keep coming back to again and again.
What Next
How to keep a journal
How to draw a comic strip
How to write a good story
*Technically Guys Read: Funny Business (which has been published and is currently available in all major book stores...and probably some not-so-major ones too) is the first book in the Guys Read Library, but Guys Write for Guys Read is kind of what got the ball rolling, so I'm including it.
The Compound
"Eli’s father built the Compound to keep their family safe. Now, they can’t get out. He won’t let them."
Eli's Dad is a billionaire, and because of that his family has always had everything they ever wanted. His dad even built an underground bunker so they'd all be safe if the world ever came to an end. Then, one day, it does. His family flees to the bunker for safety and in the process loses Eli's twin brother and their grandma. Flash forward several years - the food is running out, the tension is running high, and something isn't quite right. Eli starts to make some unsettling discoveries about the life they left behind, but will he survive long enough to discover the truth?
The cons:
Though the story is fairly understandable and straight-forward, there's one element of the story (and I don't want to spoil it, so I won't get into specifics) that is treated in vague language and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The idea does come across by the end of the book, but for much of the story I think the readers are left to sort of fend for themselves on this topic and try to make sense of what they can. That was perhaps the intention, but I personally think it takes away from the flow of the plot and is somewhat jarring.
The pros:
This is a pretty easy read. It's short, easy to understand, and pretty adventurous. There's enough mystery to keep you going, but not so much that you get confused. Eli is easy to relate to without being boring. I think young people - and especially boys will really connect with this story. It's exciting and ends as mysteriously as it begins.
What next?
Other books by S. A. Bodeen -
The Gardener
Forts:
Make a wooden fort
Make a blanket fort
Build a fort step-by-step
Build an indoor fort
Emergency Preparedness for kids:
FEMA for kids (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Ready Kids
Emergency Prep for kids
Disaster Preparedness
How to survive a zombie apocalypse from the official Center for Disease Control webpage
Wilderness Survival for Kids
The cons:
Though the story is fairly understandable and straight-forward, there's one element of the story (and I don't want to spoil it, so I won't get into specifics) that is treated in vague language and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The idea does come across by the end of the book, but for much of the story I think the readers are left to sort of fend for themselves on this topic and try to make sense of what they can. That was perhaps the intention, but I personally think it takes away from the flow of the plot and is somewhat jarring.
The pros:
This is a pretty easy read. It's short, easy to understand, and pretty adventurous. There's enough mystery to keep you going, but not so much that you get confused. Eli is easy to relate to without being boring. I think young people - and especially boys will really connect with this story. It's exciting and ends as mysteriously as it begins.
What next?
Other books by S. A. Bodeen -
The Gardener
Forts:
Make a wooden fort
Make a blanket fort
Build a fort step-by-step
Build an indoor fort
Emergency Preparedness for kids:
FEMA for kids (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Ready Kids
Emergency Prep for kids
Disaster Preparedness
How to survive a zombie apocalypse from the official Center for Disease Control webpage
Wilderness Survival for Kids
