Dangerous Book

So I succumbed to the hype and purchased The Dangerous Book for Boys. First of all, the title alone would have been enough to sell me. But the idea of a book that included tips for making a fort, a treehouse, a paper airplane, a water bomb, and a go-cart was too appealing to ignore. What I didn't know -- and what others have said -- was whether the retro aspect of the book would be as appealing to my 11 year-old son as it was to me. Who is buying this book, some have wondered, kids or their baby-boomer fathers?

As soon as I unwrapped the book and gave it to Simon, however, I had my answer. He instantly dug into it, and within minutes asked me if he could get a Swiss Army knife. Then he asked me if we could build a treehouse. Then I had to pull away so we could go to a minor league baseball game. When we got back, he returned immediately to the book, and I found him in his bedroom (past his bedtime -- 10pm) making paper airplanes from the instructions in the book. Although it was late, I couldn't resist, and we sat on his bed for another 15 minutes making airplanes together.

This is a boy who is never more than a hands-length from his Nintendo DS. Whose Playstation is like an opium addiction. Yet this weekend we are going out to buy the hardware we need for that treehouse.

I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. A marketing phenomenon that lives up to its hype. Buy it!