Scieszka, Jon, editor. Guys Write for Guys Read: Boys’ Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys. Viking, 2008: 978-0670011445 $9.99

*****

The favorite authors of young men write about guys being guys in all their smelly, funny, gross, heartwarming, fear-filled, fear-inducing glory. Crossing over formats and genres, the book contains short stories, memoirs, poems and articles and artwork from writers, illustrators and editors for teens, adults and children. Each piece is under four pages, making the book easily digestible in small chunks.

How could a boy not want to devour titles like “Boys, Beer, Barf and Bonding,” “Bombs, Girls” and “Dead Body?” Darren Shan’s “GUYManifesto – Who We Are!” empowers boys to embrace their hairy, toe-nail biting, scratching, sniffing, farting selves – or, any piece of that self, while an excerpt from Esquire Magazine’s popular “The Rules” column offers advice tidbits such ranging from “It’s always unaceptable to refuse a woman’s request to dance” to “when in doubt, pick “C.”

Dav Pilkey thanks his parents for not allowing him to bring his comics to school, and Daniel Adel wonders why the same themes keep showing up in his illustrations. Daniel Handler writes about standing up for what you believe in, while Gary Paulsen explores the peeing on the electric fence rite of passage. Will Weaver’s brilliant essay “Taming the Bear” offers strategies for toning done the testosterone, while Matt Groening illustrates that Life is Hell.

Dav Pilkey thanks his parents for not allowing him to bring his comics to school, and Daniel Adel wonders why the same themes keep showing up in his illustrations. Daniel Handler writes about standing up for what you believe in, while Gary Paulsen explores the peeing on the electric fence rite of passage. Will Weaver’s brilliant essay “Taming the Bear” offers strategies for toning done the testosterone, while Matt Groening illustrates that Life is Hell.

Mostly nonfiction, with illustrations every 5-7 stories, this is the perfect book for reluctant guy readers. Truly, there is something in here for everyone – even a girl who might want to know how guys think (why they think the way they do is yet to be determined). One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the book foster editor Jon Scieszka’s website Guy Reads, which contains even more stories and recommendations. The site has picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult fare; Guys Write for Guys Read is appropriate for ages 11 and up.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Mostly nonfiction, with illustrations every 5-7 stories, this is the perfect book for reluctant guy readers. Truly, there is something in here for everyone – even a girl who might want to know how guys think (why they think the way they do is yet to be determined). One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the book foster ediotr Jon Scieszka’s website Guy Reads, which contains even more stories and recommendations. The site has picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult fare; Guys Write for Guys Read is appropriate for ages 11 and up.

Review by Beth Gallaway, originally posted at http://hiplibrariansbookblog.blog-city.com