The Daring Book for Girls Reviews

• A wonderful book for young girls (or boys) - you'll love it as much as your kid!

  
  By A6VPK7X53QNAQ on 2007-11-09
  This is the perfect book to share with your daughter/ granddaughter/that special girl you know who is a tween or young teen. It has just the right mix of articles - informative, fun, and stimulating! When the "Dangerous Book for Boys" came out I wished for a version for girls and this book is as good as the one for boys if not better.
  
  When you first flip through its pages it will remind you of the time you were her age. You probably read a book almost like this but not quite. I say not quite as this book does a perfect balancing act between skills and general knowledge, between techniques we learned from our grandmothers and the ones that became popular later. It tells you "how to press flowers" but also "five karate moves". "Make your own quill pen" is preceded by "how to change a tire". I remember reading a book almost like this in my childhood. I dearly treasured that book till its pages were yellow and stiff into my college days. I spent many afternoons after school experimenting with the projects. I remember the bitter candy apples I made from a recipe in that book, or the quill pen with which I wrote my "secret language" notes for my friends and this book brought back those memories. With more words than illustrations, the Daring book for Girls will encourage the girl who reads it to use her imagination.
  
  This book will appeal to the "girly-girl" in every girl with the sections like "Palm reading", "Hopscotch", "Princesses today" or "Boys"; to her sense of adventure with articles like "Going to Africa" (short section on each country), "Hiking", "Reading tide charts"; and to the "builder" in her with sections like "Building a campfire", "Tree swings", "Every girl's toolbox". There is a ton of useful information and facts in this book too for those rainy or quiet days - "from French terms of endearment" to "Queens of Ancient world" to "Women Inventors". Sports are covered too - basketball, softball, netball, bowling, playing cards and more.
  
  My daughter was thrilled to get this book. I wasn't sure she'd like it as much as I liked my childhood book. But she began her next project "how to tie a sari" in minutes and over dinner started telling me about the women inventors in the book. We have now designated this book the "mother-daughter time" book. Each weekend, we pick up the book and try something new! What a great antidote to the "Mom, I'm bored" refrain!
  
  Some are activities she can attempt on her own and for others like building the ultimate scooter she will need help as it requires some sawing and drilling. It is a challenge for me too as I've not really attempted to build anything from scratch before. I'm ready with my saw and drill and as excited as her to begin that project!
  
  This book gives just the right kind of stimulation for a younger girl's (or boy's) curious mind and their thirst for new knowledge and skills. This book will also grow with the reader as it gives practical advice and even contains chapters like "Stocks and shares" and "Negotiating salaries." This book is therefore highly recommended and will make a great gift for a 7-14 year old.
  
  

• Where's the dangerous book for KIDS??

  
  By A2QS7EDUWTYI4L on 2007-11-02
  Oh, I see, boys get to be "dangerous" -- i.e., risk takers -- while girls get to be "daring" -- i.e., taboo breakers, who "dare" to break a rule. And we all know which irrational and constricting cultural taboos and rules are in question here. (You can start with "being smart at math." Or "repeatedly checkmating a boy in chess." Or "refusing to wear dresses or skirts." Or "rough-housing." Or "refusing to defer to men." Or "speaking your mind.") Is this really the message we want to send our kids? Especially when adult working women today are often criticized -- and blamed for their limited financial success relative to men -- specifically for not being "risk takers"? (See, e.g., Lisa Belkin's op-ed in the NY Times online, "Life's Work: The Feminine Critique" (Nov. 1 2007).)
  
  Meanwhile, here are the supposedly "daring" activities for girls to enjoy, as quoted from the Amazon editorial blurb: "female heroes in history [Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Marie Curie, no doubt], secret note-passing skills, science projects, friendship bracelets, double dutch, cats cradle, the perfect cartwheel [but not the perfect fastball or layup, of course] or the eternal mystery of what boys are thinking." I mean, excuse me while I crack open my flight bag!
  
  Then let's compare all that wonderful derring do to the things boys get to enjoy: "Simple instructions for coin tricks and paper airplanes alternate with excerpts from history such as Famous Battles and facts about ancient wonders of the world and astronomy. The dangerous aspect is more apparent in such chapters as Making Cloth Fireproof, and Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit, but also applies to the overall premise that action is fun and can be worth the risks. A section on stickball, for instance, includes advice to possibly flee the vicinity in the event of a broken window."
  
  Why ARE these books so aggressively gendered? Why couldn't the original "dangerous" book have welcomed ALL kids? Why did it have to create a clubhouse with a sign reading "NO GIRLS ALLOWED"? Why is it that knot-tying and paper-airplane-making only take on this hushed aura of holiness when they're used as a means to EXCLUDE someone? And why are girls then offered this pale Women's Auxiliary version? Is this so they'll all grow up and accept everything from the Masters Golf Tournament to 16% representation in the Senate without batting an eye?
  
  If you want to perpetuate the notion that Little Girls are Made of Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, then by all means by this book -- but don't forget the pretty pink party dress and the black patent Mary Janes.
  
  But if you want to instill an old-fashioned sense of adventure and independence in your kids -- sons and daughters alike -- I highly recommend Arthur Ransome's "Swallows & Amazons," first published in 1930, and all the other books in that series. It's a story in which children - oh, the horror! - actually spend the summer camping out *all by themselves* on an English Lake District island, to which they also sail all by themselves. I can't think of a better role model for girls than the "Amazons," a pair of girl pirates who open the series by capturing the camp of the Swallows and holding them at bay with bow and arrow.
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• Sparking Imagination

  
  By AHQHPSGH2YIT on 2007-11-12
  There are certain things that every girl should learn in her young life, like how to press flowers, what games to play at a slumber party, and how to put her hair up with a pencil. You know, girly things. But they also need to know things like salary negotiation, self defense with karate, and how to change a tire.
  
  She'll get that and more in The Daring Book For Girls, by authors Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. This wonderful collection of projects, primers, and practical advice is so compelling and fun to read that I found myself browsing through it for hours after my daughter went to bed.
  
  The letters of Abigail Adams, the history of women in the Olympics, making a lemon-powered clock... The book is packed with stimulating knowledge and activities. It's sure to stir my daughter's imagination for years to come. The authors have wisely designed the book to appeal to a wide range of ages, from 8 to 18. I'm well beyond those years, and NOT a girl, and even I'm envious of the new worlds of information that will be introduced to my daughter through these pages.
  
  If you're the parent, or grandparent, of a girl, think twice before you spend your holiday money on some new toy or electronic gadget. The Daring Book For Girls will be the gift that gets the most attention this year.
  
  

• The boys book was dumb; thus this is dumberer

  
  By A1898U6W2QMOLS on 2007-11-19
  This is a terrible book. It is daring only in the sense that hopscotch could be considered daring. In the boys book they tell you to hunt, shoot, kill and cook a rabbit. In the girls book they teach you to sing the "Miss Susie" hand-clapping song. Brilliant.
  
  I loathed this book the way I loathed people trying to hammer me into a gender-specific role when I was a little girl.
  
  Note to parents: Let your little girl be DARING on her own. She doesn't need this book. NO ONE needs this book.
  
  Update: To those who left comments who thought I did not know that Dumberer was not a word - I was making a play on the sequel to the Dumb and Dumber film, Dumb and Dumberer. It was just a joke. And I hardly think that personally attacking me and saying that I am angry because I did not happen to like this books is just bizarre. Nor do I advocate killing a rabbit - I was just making a point. You people can be so Prussian.
  
  

• Positive Book with Some Unfortunate Parts

  
  By AFM9YFB73E3IA on 2007-11-09
  While I was originally glad to see a companion to the Dangerous Book for Boys, the authors of this book have chosen to include several articles that Christian parents (and others) might find problematic:
  
  1. An chapter on palm reading and fortune telling
  
  2. Several problematic "Slumber Party Games" such as "Bloody Mary," where girls are encouraged to summon spirits, and "Light as a Feather/Stiff as a Board," a levitation game that comes out of the Spiritualism movement.
  
  3. A chapter on Yoga
  
  4. A chapter on Ghost Stories.
  
  While even many Christian parents will see these topics are harmless, fascination with and instruction about magic and the demonic in this fashion is far more dangerous than fictional books such as Harry Potter.
  
  
  
  
• More of a Warning than a Review
  By A1LUTTA7CU3JKX on 2007-11-12
  You can read the editorial review and find out what cool things are in this book, but I wanted to add that there are many occultic themes included in the book as well. These include palm reading, Bloody Mary, Light As a Feather, the custom behind and making of God's Eyes, etc. It also includes stories on infamous women that some might not want to teach their daughters. If I had known what all the book truly included, I would not have purchased it, and I more than likely will not keep it.
  
  
• feminist/ athiest book
  By ABS8F9HJB5YR8 on 2007-11-20
  I bought The Daring Book For Girls and i was very disappointed to read the sections on palm reading, Bloody Mary(encouraging girls to contact the dead), and light as a feather stiff as a board ("pretending" that the person is dead, and making up how the person died while chanting, and pretending to levitate them.) I am a Christian, and I would be offended if someone bought this if I had a daughter. I bought this for my niece, and it will be sent back. Playing around with the occult is not a game. I know some say it's just a "game," but so a ouiji board, and that's just as scary. I also didn't like how there is not a section in the book on boys, like the book for boys has on girls. In my opinion, this book seems to be written from a atheist, feminist perspective. The book would have been ok, had those sections not been included.
  
  
• Dumb spiritualism stuff ruins it
  By A34L21J4BL4J2K on 2007-12-15
  What looks like - and is billed as - an empowering book for girls instead promotes some of the least empowering beliefs on the planet.
  
  It's a real shame. We liked the "Dangerous for Boys" book. We had looked forward to the girls' turn. But what could be a good book is weighted down with phoney baloney spiritualism. Pretty disappointing.
  
  Palm reading...summoning ghosts...slumber party levitation games are among the "daring" activities presented.
  
  Oh yeah, I know, I know, it's just for fun, get a life. Oooo, let's scare our daughters silly. But the "Boys" book didn't have this kind of stuff. Why should our girls have their minds polluted with it?
  
  The boys get practical down to earth fun things to create and do. The girls get parlor games. This is empowering?Just because you did this at a slumber party 30 years ago makes it a time honored tradition to be upheld? I'd feel the same way if the "Boys" book had instruction in halloween pranks I participated in when I was a kid. Some things aren't worth passing on to the next generation.
  
  Whether you object to exposing your daughter to this kind of stuff for religious, scientific, or any other reason, don't buy this book.
  
  
  
• Highest Compliments Department
  By A2HL7R8R23NERT on 2007-10-28
  One of the highest compliments the author of a book for younger readers can get is from a parent who says, "I wish there had been a book like this when I was a kid."
  
  My guess is that authors Buchanan and Peskowitz will hear this a fair amount from older readers who fall prey to their daughters' nightstands. Despite its sidekick status as the companion volume for the extraordinarily successful The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls more than holds its own. Like the boys' volume, this one has a great, retro design, and handsome interior layout.
  
  But content is where the Daring Book really shines. It has terrific pacing, as the chapters alternate between activities and interesting information about history and culture. The underlying emphasis is on being active and (dare I write it?) daring. There's a can-do tone that informs Daring Book that I found really admirable... and my guess is that boys who voyage beyond its front cover will as well. Terrific work! See also The Big Book of Girl Stuff, the best book for this readership that I've ever written. :)
  
  
• Save Your Money
  By A92G6M2ZX1PF8 on 2007-11-19
  Ordered this for my 15 year old daughter for Christmas based on the reviews and must admit when I opened it I was dumbfounded. This book had NOTHING, that my daughter or I would consider remotely useful, interesting or age appropriate. The activities are really more geared to girls 8-10 in my opinion. I am returning this immediately. Save your money.
  
  
• Insulting and demeaning
  By AVB7V6QWJLI8A on 2007-12-02
  After buying and reading "Dangerous Book for Boys" with my son, I expected SO much more from this book. What I got was "Betty Crocker meets Bratz". Boys get how to build tree houses and code making, girls get frosting a cake. Revolting.
  
  
• If you have a daughter, buy this book!
  By A3JTI8LZ1K5HXG on 2007-11-09
  I don't know what I like better -- The Daring Book for Girls or the fact that it's written by two women I greatly admire, Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.
  
  Written as a sequel, of sorts, to last year's The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls is a compendium of activities and information to help today's girls rediscover that there are ways to have fun besides shopping at the mall, watching Hannah Montana or IM'ing their friends.
  
  As the mother of a seven-year-old daughter, I was thrilled when I learned that the founders of MotherTalk would be writing this book and couldn't wait to see what it would have in store.
  
  When it arrived, my daughter and I were both very excited because it's just got so much STUFF! Where to begin? There was so much to take in after I was done ooh-ing and aah-ing over the beautiful teal cover with the sparkly silver letters (yes, that did appeal to the "girl" in me!)
  
  How to make a lemon-powered clock (really!)? Reading the chapters on women who were pirates and spies? How to make a tree swing or check out the list of books "that will change your life?"
  
  Aimed at the "tween" girl market, it is perfect for that age group, billing itself as the book "for every girl with an independent spirit and a nose for trouble."
  
  If you're the parent of a daughter who could use a little nudging to take off the headphones and get a little fresh air, then this book is just what the doctor (or Santa) ordered. There are so many great craft ideas and topics to spark the imagination of a girl it's hard to know where to start.
  
  Since the book's release, some commenters have questioned whether this type of book can really have an impact on the way our daughters are socialized today -- can we really hope that a book that is an homage to our childhoods in the 1970s will be the tonic that will drag our girls out from behind the laptops and forsake the sassy outfits?
  
  Can it really get our girls away from the world of Libby Lu parties, Bratz Dolls, and questionable Halloween outfits?
  
  Is it too much to take the feminist optimism we had as girls of the MS. generation and help our daughters discover that they can do "boy" things, too? I think it's imperative. At seven, my daughter is already succumbing to the phenomenon of boys having too much sway on her budding self-esteem. If a few of the activities in this book can help boost her already waning self-confidence, then I'm going to go for it.
  
  Perhaps it is too much to expect that one book can start a new feminist wave for our daughters of the 21st Century. But if we don't start somewhere, who will?
  
  As a parent, I can't be responsible for reclaiming the girlhoods of all the "tweens" in America by making them turn off the Disney Channel and sit down to make a quill pen or learn about Queens of the Ancient World. But I can start with one excited second-grader and I'm planning on doing just that.
  
  What I can do is take one second-grade girl, who is chomping at the bit to dig into the activities in The Daring Book for Girls, and help her discover things she never thought she could do. And I can make sure other moms know about it, too.
  
  
  
• Great book, except for the occult elements
  By AOV2X99T141PO on 2007-12-12
  I thought this book was a wonderful collection of all kinds of interesting information and skills for girls. I am just very disappointed that information on summoning ghosts, levitating, and palm reading was included. I don't feel that's appropriate for children. The "boys version" does not have any of these types of elements that I have seen. Without those few pages I would have given it a much higher star rating.
  
  
• Dated and stereotypical
  By A1ZPX8C4SZLL8O on 2007-12-02
  Why this book is so "daring" I haven't figured out yet, but stupid and stereotypical, I'll give it that. The boys book is "dangerous," because, of course, girls can't possibly be that, but it is also dated and dumb as well, so maybe both books are equal in that regard. Tying knots? Making Cootie Catchers? A little history (which most girls will presumably learn in school if they pay attention)? Give me a break. Nothing daring here. I dare the author to move beyond the 1970's Girl Scout Handbook, because that's totally what this reminded me of.
  
  
• I like the boys version better
  By A3QDBUDXLHUJX2 on 2007-11-28
  This book is cute, but amazingly stereotypical. It's like a manual for every silly playground game I ever played in grade school. It's got all the old schoolgirl rhymes and a lot of stuff from the old Girl Scouts manuals like how to make 'sit upons.' It has things like hopscotch and how to make friendship bracelets out of string and whatnot.
  
  It's NOT 'daring' by any means. The title indicates, at least to me, that this would talk about more boy scout-type activities like fishing and tying rope and identifying animal tracks and things like that. It's not. To me a better title for this would have been something along the lines of 'the encyclopedia girlhood'
  
  
• Terrified my niece!
  By A320OJYTH7LIGJ on 2008-01-14
  The book seems endearing at first - lots of fun, interesting things for girls to learn and do. However, my niece will no longer go upstairs by herself, or shower without having her mother right there, thanks to the section on conjuring up the spirit of "Bloody Mary". This terrified her, and quite honestly, I don't see why there needs to be sections on Conjuring up the spirit of Bloody Mary, Palm reading, Levitation, and Summoning spirits. As SaraBella said, it IS in fact Satanic garbage and this book DOES fail girls. There is nothing educational or fun about any of these things. It's a waste of money, a huge disappointment, and it breaks my heart to see how it has effected my precious niece. I wish it had shown me the pages full of garbage when I clicked on "Search Inside the Book" and I could have avoided the whole situation. Do yourself a favor, let your little girl read the book for boys - she'll be much better off.
  
  
• fantastic book for all kinds of kids
  By A3DGV0WFXX4BMF on 2007-11-13
  I am a fifth grade school teacher, so I see a lot of books meant for kids who are growing up. many of these books, especially the books geared for girls tend to be very dramatic, social survival guides that delve into the social ins and outs of growing up at younger and younger ages.
  
  This book rises above all of that in the same way that the Dangerous book for boys (also a staple in my classroom) did. It tells kids that it is OK to be kids, it is OK to have a lot of interests, from sports to science to history to literature, to enjoy life by doing.
  
  when I discovered this book on amazon I looked at the table of contents and was delighted at what I saw; the rules of basketball, how to tie a sari, campfire songs and many more topics. I called the girls in my class over, some who are jocks, some who are girly-girls, some who are science minded, and our social butterflies. accross the board each and every girl found something to love about this book, to the extent that there was a fight over it when it arrived in our classroom.
  
  I am convinced that if there were more books like these telling kids to be kids and live life rather than play video games or watch TV all day, the world would be a better place.
  
  
  
• Generally OK, with some problematic elements
  By A1MXYESX6L3ACU on 2007-12-23
  Generally, this is a fun book that will appeal to parents of girls looking for a counterpart to the earlier Dangerous Book for Boys. There are some problematic elements involving the occult. Some will consider them harmless parlor games, others will consider them grounds to avoid the book. Myself, I think they should have been left out.
  
  
• The DEMONIC Book for Girls
  By ABZ10FWP7L19T on 2008-01-04
  Conjuring up the spirit of Bloody Mary? Palm reading? Levitation? Summoning spirits? What is this Satanic garbage doing in a book for young girls? Unlike the Dangerous Book for Boys which inspires, educates and entertains this book fails at almost every turn of the page.
  
  Where is the pages on braiding hair, simple recipes, paper dolls, the solar system, geography, history.....THIS BOOK FAILS GIRLS!
  
  
• At last, an answer to "Mom, I'm bored!"
  By A3U2REB8VQ6RHY on 2007-10-30
  "The Daring Book for Girls" is a great read, and the fact that I've hardly had a chance to pry it out of my daughter's grasp over the past week really says it all. I highly recommend the book for girls ages 8 and up.
  
  Girls are good hands with authors Andi Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Whereas the original "Boys" version had an antiquated English vibe that turned me off, the "Girls" version evokes an American girlhood of a recent generation--building forts, making cootie catchers, reading Judy Blume, playing outside with friends. "The Daring Book for Girls" is positioned as something that Moms will buy for their daughters. It struck me that "back in the day" much of this knowledge was passed from girl to girl, older sisters either teaching little sisters, or being spied upon by them.
  
  Today, kids are in organized sports and activities also have the quick fix of video games available to them. They don't have as many unplanned hours to fill hanging out with friends, coming up with activities like rubbing a peach pit into a ring. I hope this book will re-inspire some of those relationships and that the threads of kid lore will continue to be passed down among the kids themselves.
  
  I enjoyed the eclectic organization of the book. Kid culture is nearly inexhaustible, and I was fine with the choice to intersperse topics as diverse as Joan of Arc, Making a Willow Whistle, and Periodic Table of the Elements. It makes for very enjoyable browsing. I do wish that there was more guidance to indicate which projects could be done right away as opposed to those that require a lot of preparation. My daughter wanted to make a scooter right off the bat, but this is a project that takes more forethought than "Hey Mom, let's do this right now!"
  
  Finally, if there was ever a book that called out to be continued as a wiki, this would be it! I would love to see this knowledge base expanded with contributions from girls as well as women. I hope that the authors and publishers will embrace the possibilities of creating an online collaboration for Daring Girls of all ages.
  
  
  
  
• This is not a book for Catholic girls
  By A14LDLL3ROTEHB on 2008-02-11
  The Daring Book for Girls is intended as a companion to "The Dangerous Book for Boys" with it's title and similar cover design, but it has a very important difference. Since I have no sons, I relied on the opinon of some of my Catholic friends who loved that book for their sons. I was thrilled for my adventurous 10 year old to have a similar book. Isabella loves outdoor activities, sports, and tradtional music, and this book contains all this and more.
  I got a preview copy to review for a possible TV appearance on the "Good Morning America" with my girls to endorse the book before it came out in October. Within five minutes of reading this attractively packaged book, I noticed the occult elements and had to decline the invitation. I couldn't speak positively about a book which may lead young women into sinful practices (fortune telling, necromancy) which are forbidden by the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
  2116 "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan, demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to 'unveil' the future. (Deuteronomy 18:10) Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens or lots, the phenomenon of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone."
  
  This book with all it's interesting chapters like flower pressing, making your own rip line, campfire songs, etc. mixes in harmful elements like Palm Reading p 8, evoking "Bloody Mary" p102, and Yoga on p 191. That these elements are included within a largely wholesome book is even more insidious as it implies they are harmless. I asked author Miriam Peskowitz to consider removing these elements, and haven't heard from her. She would have my most hearty endorsement if she did.
  
  
  
• A wonderful book for young girls (or boys) - you'll love it as much as your kid!
  By A6VPK7X53QNAQ on 2007-10-31
  This is the perfect book to share with your daughter/ granddaughter/that special girl you know, whether she is 8 or 18 or somewhere in between. It has just the right mix of articles - informative, fun, and stimulating! When the "Dangerous Book for Boys" came out I wished for a version for girls and this book is as good as the one for boys if not better.
  
  When you first flip through its pages it will remind you of the time you were her age. You probably read a book almost like this but not quite. I say not quite as this book does a perfect balancing act between skills and general knowledge, between techniques we learned from our grandmothers and the ones that became popular later. It tells you "how to press flowers" but also "five karate moves". "Make your own quill pen" is preceded by "how to change a tire". I remember reading a book almost like this in my childhood. I dearly treasured that book till its pages were yellow and stiff into my college days. I spent many afternoons after school experimenting with the projects. I remember the bitter candy apples I made from a recipe in that book, or the quill pen with which I wrote my "secret language" notes for my friends and this book brought back those memories. With more words than illustrations, the Daring book for Girls will encourage the girl who reads it to use her imagination.
  
  This book will appeal to the "girly-girl" in every girl with the sections like "Palm reading", "Hopscotch", "Princesses today" or "Boys"; to her sense of adventure with articles like "Going to Africa" (short section on each country), "Hiking", "Reading tide charts"; and to the "builder" in her with sections like "Building a campfire", "Tree swings", "Every girl's toolbox". There is a ton of useful information and facts in this book too for those rainy or quiet days - "from French terms of endearment" to "Queens of Ancient world" to "Women Inventors". Sports are covered too - basketball, softball, netball, bowling, playing cards and more.
  
  My daughter was thrilled to get this book. I wasn't sure she'd like it as much as I liked my childhood book. But she began her next project "how to tie a sari" in minutes and over dinner started telling me about the women inventors in the book. We have now designated this book the "mother-daughter time" book. Each weekend, we pick up the book and try something new! What a great antidote to the "Mom, I'm bored" refrain!
  
  Some are activities she can attempt on her own and for others like building the ultimate scooter she will need help as it requires some sawing and drilling. It is a challenge for me too as I've not really attempted to build anything from scratch before. I'm ready with my saw and drill and as excited as her to begin that project!
  
  This book gives just the right kind of stimulation for a younger girl's (or boy's) curious mind and their thirst for new knowledge and skills. This book will also grow with the reader as it gives practical advice for situations and even contains chapters like "Stocks and shares" and "Negotiating salaries." This book is therefore highly recommended and will make a great gift for a 7-14 year old.
  
  
• Reminds Me of What Girls Did When I Was Young
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2007-12-04
  I was intrigued by this book's title after reading The Dangerous Book for Boys which provided me with a fun walk down memory lane. Having read that book made me aware that I didn't only play with boys when I was growing up, I also spent many happy hours playing with boys and girls together. Naturally, in those days playing together usually meant doing what the girls wanted to do. Why? They were bigger, smarter, and tougher than we boys were at that age.
  
  My daughters by comparison grew up in a different age when there was much less mixing of the sexes during play. As a result, my daughters missed out on such favorites from my youth as various kinds of tag, four square, paper airplanes, clubhouses, forts, paddling canoes, math tricks, roller skating, card games, simple gymnastics, and various other schoolyard games . . . especially tetherball . . . ah, tetherball! I wish this book had been available then. I would have given it to them.
  
  You cannot assume anything about today's girls and young women so the book covers traditional female favorites (nice handwriting, pressing flowers, jump rope, softball, using a pencil to put up your hair, slumber party games, cloth-covered books, sleep outs, lemonade stand, hand clap games, ghost stories, jacks, friendship bracelets, and paper flowers). For those who don't want to feel like they are limited by being females, there are sections on tool kits, knots, building a campfire, reading tide charts, building a scooter, changing a tire, and becoming a spy. There are also sections that would be of value to any child: Robert's Rules of Order, watercolor painting, finance, negotiating a salary, public speaking, vocabulary, yoga, first aid, periodic table of the elements, and playing basketball.
  
  I found myself having a very good time reading the materials. They are well illustrated and interesting.
  
  I didn't have very many quibbles but they were mostly related to condensing material. For example, How to Whistle with Two Fingers starts with "Make a triangle with your pinkies . . . ." Now how can two fingers make a triangle? Beats me. In lists of princesses, some are noted for having gone through a divorce. Surely, there's something more interesting about those princesses than a failed marriage. As a result, I found about 20 percent of the sections weren't too usable because I either couldn't figure out what they were trying to tell me or they were telling me something that no one needs to know. But after all, I'm just a dumb old boy . . . so maybe those smart young girls today can figure it out. I hope so.
  
  I wished the book would have had a few more sections on adventuresome things to do with friends rather than merely social things. A lot of things my daughters did and loved at camp weren't covered.
  
  On behalf of my mother who always kept lots of scrapbooks, I should note that her interest was at least as strong in princes as it was in princesses. This book lacked in princes but does very well with queens and princesses.
  
  I was surprised to see that the many heroines in the Bible weren't represented here in the history of women sections. Now, there were some adventuresome women!
  
  
  
• Depressing that we still belittle girls
  By A3T4GWL8F09HZO on 2007-12-31
  I picked this up to consider for my niece after my husband raved about the fun he had with 'Dangerous Book for Boys'. VERY disappointed in the first few pages that I landed on - list of princesses, tying your hair with a pencil and how to frost a cake.
  
  I never bothered to make it to the chapter they probably included on how to have a perfectly chilled manhattan waiting for your husband when he comes home from work.
  
  
• A Godsend for a Father of Girls
  By AAHX8RJVXCSX5 on 2007-10-31
  As a father to sons AND daughters, the Dangerous Book for my sons was great, but of course my oldest daughter wanted to know if Santa was bringing one for her too. She's only 4, so she's too young for anything but the pictures, but with this and Amazon, it looks like she'll get lucky.
  
  It's a beautiful looking book, for a start, well bound, attractive colours etc. My wife found it fascinating and the more we looked at it, the more she kept saying 'Oh this bit is great!' I'm not going to be trying a backwards walk-over any time soon (not with my back!) but I'm not the target audience. I liked the choices of heroic women like Amelia Earheart and Joan of Arc. I also liked the children's games, things to make and the karate section! As said father to girls, I want them to defend themselves - but the authors haven't tried to make this a boys book for girls. Some of it is very old-fashioned feminine stuff and frankly, it's about time someone did it. Girls may grow up to be CEOs these days, but my daughters enjoy making pretty things from paper and string as well.
  
  No doubt there will be some who complain about the lack of 'man-hating' in here, but hey, the seventies are a long time ago and some things appeal to girls more than boys. All that good stuff is in here, without apology. I know it appeals to my wife, who said it never would. I know it appeals to a twelve year old girl cousin, who now wants one. I think this is going to make a good present.
  
  James
  
  
• A Wonderful Book
  By ADVLRJS633OTD on 2007-11-05
  This is not a girly book. It's not sexist or anti-male. It's a book full of fun, wonderful, clean adventures and lots of useful information for girls of all ages. And don't girls need all the help they can get? I sure wish this had been around when I was a girl.
  
  The book begins with all the essential gear girls just have to have. Included are a swiss army knife described as a key tool for survival, a bandana to keep your head cool, rope and twine to help learn about knots, a journal (that's a big one), a hair band for girls with long hair-- duct tape, to fix almost everything, and patience--which is described in the book as a quality and not a thing.
  
  The book tells girls to not try and be perfect. (Good for all of us.) In the face of frustration, your best tools are a few deep breaths, and remembering that you can do anything once you've practiced it two hundred times. Isn't that wonderful advice? Girls especially are sort of perfectionists. As girls, we tend to think we have to be better and never make a mistake. This books helps girls to discover they don't need to be perfect BUT that if they keep trying, they'll be great!
  
  Highly recommended.
  
  
• covers many topics
  By A1A4HWBTCEGMPZ on 2007-11-08
  This book is as wonderful as the Dangerous Book for Boys. I have a son, but bought the Daring Girls for my niece. After flipping through the book, I think I will order a second copy for myself! There are things in there that I have always wanted to learn how to do. If I could hide the title of the book, I'm sure my son would enjoy things inside of it too. But heaven forbid that he be caught reading a book written for girls! :) Thank you for writing such an interesting, wonderful book!
  
  
• Can Boys Play Too?
  By A2LRVD5RJFT04B on 2007-12-03
  Dangerous and Daring for Kids' would have been a better title for this book. It would promote diversity for young adult adventures. Overall, the title of this book makes assumptions about who we are now AND who we should be in our future.
  
  The book's written contents are a reflection of the title. Too limiting in scope for future kids of our space age who deserve a level playing field. Our future young adults deserve gender equal family training grounds. We aren't progressing much towards girl's equality if this lousy bestselling book tells us girls should play like girls when everyone knows boys have more fun.
  
  Can Boys play this 'daring book for girls' game too? Some kids don't make up our minds right away. Play like Girls or Boys, we ask? Either one or both. Do we have a choice? Who decides we even get a choice? Who are girls and boys allowed to be without knowing more choices? This book won't answer those questions for you. Don't bother with the Girls' book, get 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' for the girls. Let GIRLS read the`Dangerous Boys' book if they really want to be daring.
  
  
• Equal to or better than the Boys' book....
  By A1JYJF8P2D8QBU on 2007-11-03
  ... depending on whether you prefer hunting and tanning (boys) or jump-rope and karate (girls). Much of the content in the Daring Book for Girls is very like the content in the Dangerous Book for Boys, with slight variations which are nice if you happen to have both. If you are a parent wondering whether to buy this for your daughter or go with the boys' book because you think it might be better, rest assured, this one is every bit as fun, adventuresome and fascinating as the boys' book. I have a young daughter and bought the boys' book before I knew there would be a girls' one; now I have them both and side-by-side I can say this one at the very least lives up to its predecessor, and in my opinion surpasses it, although both are excellent.
  
  There are things in this book I'd completely forgotten that I did as a girl. Remember four-square? Elastics? Daisy-chains? Friendship bracelets and hand-clap games? And there are some fascinating tidbits in here, too; did you know Julia Child was a spy before she became a famous TV chef? Who would have thought it? There's a neat section on "Vedic math" tricks, which are something I've always thought amazingly cool and useful. And another neat thing is the international flavor of the book; living in the U.S. but having grown up in New Zealand, it's a real treat to see netball included here among the ball/court games, right between basketball and korfball!!
  
  Really, moms and dads, do your girls a favor and buy this book, it's worth every penny (for the nostalgia factor alone, hehe).
  
  
• A cute compliment to "Dangerous".
  By A3JJ9D0JBCSF0A on 2007-11-03
  I'm not a girl. I bought this book for myself. I couldn't be more satisfied. These 2 titles have provided me with a nice collection of common references in daily life. Sure this book is geared towards girls with a few topics like friendship bracelets, flower pressing, varying jump rope styles and stitching, but most of the book is quite androgynous with a "women's studies" feel to it (many topics on key individuals and events in the history of women to elaborate). Weather, pirates, sleep outs, building campfires, songs, spying, bird watching, mathematics, first aid, hiking, Robert's Rules, Greek and Latin roots, finance and negotiating salaries!? All simply explained and encyclopedic!? Indeed an interesting read; good basics to know. And I was curious what the topic of boys would get. I'm happy to say it's not too stereotypical. (The advice of ignoring them until they're 25 seemed reputable! Get your doctorate first! Oh how I love a sharp mind!) The only thing I don't really like about these books is the contents don't appear to be in any clear order, but I suppose it makes it more entertaining reading cover to cover and it's not much to fuss over. Definitely recommended for the modest fact/skill junkie.
  
  

• The Dangerous Book for Boys
• How To Be The Best At Everything (The Girls' Book)
• How To Be The Best At Everything (The Boys' Book)
• The Big Book of Girl Stuff
• American Girls Handy Book: How to Amuse Yourself and Others (Nonpareil Books)