The Dangerous Book for Boys represents a healthy swing of the pendulum away from 20th century post-Christian sensitive new-age-guy feminist parenting. Me? opinionated?
Seriously, this is a book that works on many levels. If you have a pre-teen boy in the house, I can almost guarantee he’ll like this book. And even if he doesn’t like it at first, you should still have one lying around for him to pick up. Sooner or later he will.
The book is a sort of almanac of “boy’s lore.” The typography, the illustrations, and the article selections are laid out in a sort of cross between the Boy Scout Manual and the old World Book Encyclopedia. The entries are an eclectic mix of lists & lore on topics that boys naturally gravitate to, like “Famous Battles” and “Extraordinary Stories.” There are also some practical academic tips like “Latin Phrases Every Boy Should Know” and three articles on “Understanding Grammar.” But these are not what boys will look at first.
Boys will most likely gravitate at first to “First Aid,” “Five Pen-and-Paper Games,” “Secret Inks,” “Spies – Codes and Ciphers,” “Making Crystals,” and “Making a Go-Cart.” Also included are the rules for “Stickball,” “Table Football,” and a table of the winning hands at Poker. Near and dear to my heart is the list of “Books Every Boy Should Read” at the end, which includes both Lewis and Tolkien as well as Kipling, Mark Twain, Douglas Adams, and Ian Fleming. I’m less happy with the inclusion of J.K.Rowling, but willing to overlook it and politely disagree.
I do recommend this book for homeschooling families who want to delight in the boyhood of boys. The book is just plain fun to read, with quite a few humorous passages. An example: Point one in the Advice About Girls:
1. It is important to listen. Human beings are often very self-centered and like to talk about themselves. In addition, it’s an easy subject if someone is nervous. it is good advice to listen closely — unless she has also been given this advice, in which case an uneasy silence could develop, like two owls sitting together.
2. Be careful with humor. It is very common for boys to try to impress girls with a string of jokes, each one more desperate than the last. One joke, perhaps, and then a long silence while she talks about herself . . .
The authors are two English brothers (who obviously had great fun together as boys), Conn and Hal Iggulden. Conn Iggulden is also the author of the four-volume historical fiction series on Julius Caesar that I recommended earlier this month.
The Dangerous Book for Boys is a well-bound hardback that sells for $24.95. It came out in May of 2007, and in less than a year has already become a classic and a great gift book. You can order it direct from Greenleaf Press.
Sensing a “Good Thing,” the publisher has, of course, brought out a companion book for pre-teen girls in the same style titled The Daring Book for Girls. Printed prominently on the back, in large type, is the invitation (warning?): “For every girl with an Independent spirit and a nose for trouble, here is the no-boys-allowed guide to adventure.”
It is refreshing to read a book that acknowledges that girls’ interests are different from boys’ and celebrates that fact. There are some commonalities (States, Capitals, Greek & Latin vocabulary) but almost everything here is similar in style, but different in content. The games described are Double Dutch Jump Rope and Softball and Slumber Party Games (quite wholesome). The story selections are on Queens of the Ancient World and Women Spies. The projects are Friendship Bracelets, Watercolor Painting, and Roller Skating. I can’t speak personally, of course, but my younger six daughters looked it over and pronounced it “interesting.” I plan to leave it lying around for them to discover and enjoy on their own.
Like The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls is a sturdy hardback, and sells for $24.95. And it can be ordered from Greenleaf Press.
Both books put a smile on my face and made me think that childhood can still be fun and wholesome, and doesn’t require electronic devices to be enjoyed. Recommended for these and many other reasons.
– Rob Shearer
Publisher, Greenleaf Press
Director, Schaeffer Study Center
There is a renaissance of Christian film-making going on. As Christian film-makers have acquired more experience and knowledge the quality of their work has been improving dramatically. Just this week, I watched a series of short films (about 12 minutes each) that were scripted and shot to re-tell six of Jesus’ parables. They’re extremely well done and display an awareness and mastery of the vocabulary of film that is a step beyond the sub-genre of “Christian films.”The six films have been produced and packaged together by a Nashville company called Compass Cinema in a boxed set called Modern Parables. The set includes 3 DVDs (with two films each) along with a student book and teacher’s guide. The films are ideal starter material for small group bible studies, youth groups, or Sunday school, or even home school. The accompanying study guides are rich in scriptural content. The point of the study is not to study the film, but to use the film as an aid in understanding the scriptures.The six parables retold are Hidden Treasure, Samaritan, The Shrewd Manager, The Widow & Judge, The Sower, and Prodigal Sons.
You can 
The name that the Scholls chose for their group points to Luther as well. Luther’s symbol or crest, granted him by the Elector of Saxony was 
The film had a particular connection to me. When I was 20 years old, I spent a year in Germany as an exchange student. The dormitory I lived in was located on a street called (Siblings Scholl Street).
The Gates of Rome tells the story of Julius’ childhood. It begins with his upbringing on an estate on the outskirts of Rome, the death of his father while he was quite young, and his adoption by his uncle Marius. It then tells of the death of Marius and Julius’ flight into exile after the conquest of Rome by Sulla, as well as his defiance of Sulla when Sulla ordered him to divorce his wife Cornelia – whose family were strong supporters of Marius. The book closes with Julius and his childhood friend, Marcus, both in exile from Rome and beginning their careers in the Roman army with the lowest officer rank – roughly equivalent to the modern rank of 2nd lieutenant.
The Death of Kings picks up the stories of Julius and his childhood best friend Marcus as they serve in Roman legions in the field, a long way from Rome. A large part of novel follows Julius and his unit as they are dispatched in a galley to deliver a paymaster’s chest of gold to north Africa. The ship is attacked by pirates, Julius and the other officers are captured and held for ransom. Julius vows to the pirates that he will escape, track them down, and execute them – which he proceeds to do. Although not the ranking officer, by strength of will he becomes the leader of the captives. After being freed, and recruiting a force of volunteer soldiers, Caesar tracks the pirates down, kills them and retrieves not only the ransoms that had been paid, but a large hoard of gold stolen by the pirates. Caesar sails his captured ships into a Greek port and finds himself in the middle of a rebellion led by the Greek king Mithridates. Caesar organizes a military force from Roman settlers and retired veterans and defeats Mithridates while the “official” expedition dispatched by Rome dithers waiting for reinforcements. Learning that Sulla has died, the young Julius (now with a victory in the field to his credit) returns to Rome, brushes aside the opposition of the old supporters of Sulla and is recognized by the Senate with a commendation and promotion. He is reunited with his wife and his boyhood friend Marcus. He is then quickly elected Tribune. The book ends with Julius leading his troops under the command of Consuls Pompey and Crassus in fighting the slave rebellion of Spartacus. Before the rebellion is over, he is given orders by Pompey to take command in Spain and govern the Roman province there.
The Field of Swords opens with Julius in Spain. His wife has died, he’s depressed, and his friends and officers are worried about him. A romantic liaison with the Roman courtesan Servilia (who is the mother of his friend Marcus Brutus) revives him, finding a statue in Spain dedicated to Alexander the Great inspires him. At the end of his term of service in Spain he returns to Rome and becomes a candidate for the office of Consul. When he is elected, he forms an alliance with Pompey and Crassus, called the “Triumvirate.” In return for supporting their interests in the Senate he asks for, and receives, a commission at the end of his term as Consul, to take command of a Roman army and conquer Gaul. The second half of the book races through Caesar’s ten year conquest of Gaul (and Britain). As the book ends, Caesar receives word that Crassus has been killed leading a Roman army in the east against the Parthians. Caesar has finished the conquest of Gaul and is resolved to return to Rome and rule the city. In violation of Roman law, he leads his army without the Senate’s permission back into Italy, and crosses the Rubicon as he heads for Rome.
In The Gods of War, Pompey flees from Rome, with many members of the Senate and their families accompanying him and goes to Greece to assemble the Roman troops into an army to defeat Julius. Julius takes possession of Rome, is elected Consul, and quickly leaves with an army for Greece to find Pompey and defeat him. Julius wins the ensuing battle and Pompey flees from Greece to Egypt. Julius pursues, Pompey is killed, and Cleopatra has herself smuggled into Julius’ camp where they promptly fall in love. He was 50, she was 21. One year later, after the birth of his son by Cleopatra (whom they named Caesar Ptolemy), Caesar returns to Rome. Cleopatra and his friend Marcus Brutus accompany him. After seeing his veteran soldiers mustered out and rewarded, Caesar wishes to be named king and to found a dynasty. The Senate, joined by Marcus Brutus, have had enough and Caesar is murdered on March 15, 44BC.