David Borgenicht

A rather creepy book. The advice for surviving a tiger attack(!) ends with telling the young reader to, while being attacked, stick his or her hand down the throat of the feline. It’s accompanied by a drawing of a fierce girl putting on a blue latex glove while glaring at the cowering cat. “Give it a gag order. If a tiger takes you down, quickly shove your hand into its mouth and down its throat. Tigers have a strong gag reflex that prevent [sic] them from chomping down... at least for a show more while.” Yes, the same species that regularly takes down two-ton water buffaloes with massive horns is going to be deterred by your little Kayden’s fingers. The piranha chapter gives the dubious advice of waiting until night to cross that dangerous river. It of course doesn’t mention that most other predators of the Amazon are most active at night. Do I even have to tell you what the shark chapter says? Why even include animal attacks in a book like this unless you (the authors & publisher) have a sadistic streak towards kids? Fortunately, most of the chapters deal with things like lightning, volcanoes, mobs, and quicksand. show less

I bought this as a stocking gift for my kid's Christmas, as they are learning how to drive. This is really an ideal book for that purpose. The title says it is a pocket guide, and that's the truth: it is a very small hardcover, something that could even fit in the annoyingly small pocket of women's jeans. There are under a hundred pages. While the content sure doesn't cover everything that could go wrong, it is still pretty diverse. You learn how to drive up and down stairs, bail out of a show more semi-truck cab on a collapsing ice road, and pee while driving. The advice is both ludicrous and fascinating. show less

Survivalist and adventure fans hit information for hardcore situations, and that with tons of humor tossed in.

From ice landscapes to jungles...from Africa to South America and more, this read visits dangerous and sticky situations, which readers may or may not ever face, from all ends of the globe. Surviving a shipwreck on an island, facing down a mountain lion, or even understanding the first hints of a tsunami no longer count to secret skills after hitting these pages. The chapters divide show more up the possible predicaments by settings (jungle, ice, etc.), give a one paragraph introduction, and then dive into several scenarios and how to deal with them with short tips and hints.

Some skills are useful and good-to-know. Others are interesting but probably will never arise...which doesn't mean the information is useless, though. Each situation is delivered with a sense of adventure and humor, which never underplays the true danger but keeps it light-hearted and fun. The information holds general, easy tips (nothing overly technical) and will have readers proud that they know some things others probably don't. The information is also correct, which does add to the all-around-knowledge aspect and really can help out if the need arises. It's an extremely varied mix, which adds to the fun.

The writing is very fitting for the middle grade audience. The reader is directly addressed, and while the authors 'play' with each scenario and add jokes, they never talk down to the readers, either. It guarantees smiles and also helps the information sit better in the memory. There are added questions toward the end of each chapter, which hold a bit of real information checking but also offer ridiculous answer possibilities to bring snorts and giggles. The illustrations also add humor but do help readers understand the information given in the text (like how to construct emergency shelters).

It's a fun read with tons of information, too, and I do see readers enjoying this one quite a bit. I received a DRC and not only learned quite a bit but found myself smiling the entire way through. show less

This should have a different subtitle - The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook for Spoiled, Bratty, and Unimaginative Kids. The top worst-case scenario category is embarrassing events at school. Not dangerous, not life-threatening, not intellectual challenges, EMBARRASSING. Like falling down in the cafeteria or how to look cool when you don't know anybody.

The next largest category would be how to make excuses when you've gotten yourself into trouble. In other words, how to con your show more parents and others in authority into thinking you're sorry when you're not. And then we have ways to exploit and manipulate younger siblings, how to increase your allowance (preferably without doing extra work) and a bonus section on how to survive outdoors. In addition to the blah content, the type and illustrations are all in black and orange (is there some secret correlation with Halloween?).

I really enjoyed some of the other worst-case scenario handbooks, their wacky humor and improbable situations were fun. But I think the authors tried too hard to be "practical" and "humorous" at the same time. And is embarrassment at school really the worst thing that could ever happen to you?

Verdict: Despite my own annoyance with this book, it probably would circulate well with elementary students - the middle school version has been popular with my middle school patrons. Reluctantly recommended.

ISBN: 978-0811860659; Published August 2007 by Chronicle; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less