The Pocket Guide to Mischief

by Bart King

Overview

The greatest leaders and geniuses in history were mischief makers. They were the brave women who looked at how unfair the world was and said, “I can do better than that.” They were the stalwart men who saw stupidity and asked, “Why do we have to do it that way?” And they were the delightful children who ganged up on the neighborhood bully and hit him with wet noodles until he said, “Uncle!” Yes, history's mischief makers had the courage to point out that things like slavery, global warming, and turtleneck sweaters are bad. And they also pulled off some of the greatest hoaxes and practical jokes of all time. Their achievements include the Boston Tea Party, the “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast of 1938, and the Cheese Whiz Disaster of 2008. In honor of them, we introduce The Pocket Guide to Mischief, the perfect addition to any prankster's collection, as well as a fun-filled how-to for the budding troublemaker in all of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423611301
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	02/01/2008
Series:	Pocket Guide
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Bart King has written more than twenty-eight books, including The Big Book of Boy Stuff, The Big Book of Spy Stuff, and The Pocket Guide to Mischief. His books for Gibbs Smith have sold more than 830,000 copies combined. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Read an Excerpt

Pocket Guide to Mischief-ExcerptMischief of the Rich and Famous

The Mythbusters are Jamie Hyneman, Adam savage, and Peter Rees. These guys created a TV show where they take urban legends and put them to the test. It takes a special person to answer questions like: Can a microwaved jawbreaker explode in your mouth? (Yes.) Does quicksand actually suck you under and drown you? (No.) Can people row fast enough to pull a water skier? (Yes.) Would a penny dropped from the Empire State Building kill someone? (Nope.) Can you learn something while watching these guys blow things up? (Yes!)

Special bonus score: To Jamie Hyneman, for saying, “We take large objects and make them into very small objects.”

Table of Contents

1. Introduction … 10 2. Choosing Your Target or Nemesis … 18 3. Mischief Quiz! … 23 4. Harmless Trickery 101 How to Defend Home and Self … 31 5. Oldies but Goodies … 51 6. Practical Jokes Inspired by Ancient Rome … 57 7. Amusing Slights and Friendly Jibes … 73 8. Spy Games … 101 9. Mischief of the Rich and Famous … 113 10. Inspired by the Oxford Dictionary … 137 11. International Mischief … 147 12. Mischievous Foods … 156 13. Sporting Mischief … 167 14. Duels … 203 15. Bodily Mischief … 211 16. Lessons from Stravinsky … 231 17. Be True to Your School … 239 18. Careers in Mischief … 260 Acknowledgments…265 Bibliography…266

Editorial Reviews

Sized for handy stashing in the inside pocket of a jacket, this primer for merry-prankster wannabes starts out with the obligatory request that readers play safe, and not damage property nor hurt anyone, neither psychically nor physically. After this, King takes off the brakes. From the smorgasbord of tricks: instead of TP'ing someone's house at night, sprinkle the lawn with instant potato flakes (the dew will puff them up). And a tip: a pencil or pen clamped between the teeth effectively disguises one's voice. From the historical record: forced into a duel, Abraham Lincoln named, as the choice of arms, cow manure. From the sports ledger: the mascots of Ohio's Bryan & Stratton College are the Lemmings. Kids will also go for the Oxford Dictionary insults-e.g., "cockalorum"-recommended as replacements for "cuss words"; the detailed guide to shooting rubber bands; and the many scatological jokes. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Bart King is my new hero. On the surface, his books might look like they’re getting by on being similar to the ubiquitous Dangerous Book for Boys. King’s pocket guides—with illustrations of paper airplanes, Chuck Taylors, and a slingshot on their covers—do cash in on that kind of scrappy retro charm. But these books are something entirely different.These books are hilarious. And informative—if you want to know how to get the best of your nemesis or play toilet tag. What makes these special is not only that they’re well-written, well-designed, and funny, but also that they present information that is actually new and actually useful (again, useful to the sorts of people who like to play toilet tag).A few tantalizing sample tastes:From The Pocket Guide to Mischief: “You’ll need some cream cheese. First, roll the deodorant out maybe half an inch . . .”From The Pocket Guide to Games: “Fill several balloons with water, and hang one from a tree . . .”From The Pocket Guide to Boy Stuff: “Here are two hand-grenade designs that you can use that won’t start a fire . . .”If these don’t seem gender-neutral enough, and you have a daughter who is into this kind of thing, rest assured that Bart King also has girl versions: The Big Book of Girl Stuff gracefully and barely touches on puberty, but includes plenty of pranks, code names, and hijinx for kids who like bright pink more than baseballs on the covers of their books.Should someone you know be interested, visit the author’s web site: www.bartking.net. It includes video clips illustrating some of the guides’ proposed activities!

From the Publisher

Bart King is my new hero. On the surface, his books might look like they’re getting by on being similar to the ubiquitous Dangerous Book for Boys. King’s pocket guides—with illustrations of paper airplanes, Chuck Taylors, and a slingshot on their covers—do cash in on that kind of scrappy retro charm. But these books are something entirely different.

These books are hilarious. And informative—if you want to know how to get the best of your nemesis or play toilet tag. What makes these special is not only that they’re well-written, well-designed, and funny, but also that they present information that is actually new and actually useful (again, useful to the sorts of people who like to play toilet tag).

A few tantalizing sample tastes:
From The Pocket Guide to Mischief: “You’ll need some cream cheese. First, roll the deodorant out maybe half an inch . . .”
From The Pocket Guide to Games: “Fill several balloons with water, and hang one from a tree . . .”
From The Pocket Guide to Boy Stuff: “Here are two hand-grenade designs that you can use that won’t start a fire . . .”

If these don’t seem gender-neutral enough, and you have a daughter who is into this kind of thing, rest assured that Bart King also has girl versions: The Big Book of Girl Stuff gracefully and barely touches on puberty, but includes plenty of pranks, code names, and hijinx for kids who like bright pink more than baseballs on the covers of their books.

Should someone you know be interested, visit the author’s web site: www.bartking.net. It includes video clips illustrating some of the guides’ proposed activities!

Kidoinfor - Katy Killilea

Bart King is my new hero. On the surface, his books might look like they're getting by on being similar to the ubiquitous Dangerous Book for Boys. King's pocket guides-with illustrations of paper airplanes, Chuck Taylors, and a slingshot on their covers-do cash in on that kind of scrappy retro charm. But these books are something entirely different.

These books are hilarious. And informative-if you want to know how to get the best of your nemesis or play toilet tag. What makes these special is not only that they're well-written, well-designed, and funny, but also that they present information that is actually new and actually useful (again, useful to the sorts of people who like to play toilet tag).

A few tantalizing sample tastes:
From The Pocket Guide to Mischief: "You'll need some cream cheese. First, roll the deodorant out maybe half an inch . . ."
From The Pocket Guide to Games: "Fill several balloons with water, and hang one from a tree . . ."
From The Pocket Guide to Boy Stuff: "Here are two hand-grenade designs that you can use that won't start a fire . . ."

If these don't seem gender-neutral enough, and you have a daughter who is into this kind of thing, rest assured that Bart King also has girl versions: The Big Book of Girl Stuff gracefully and barely touches on puberty, but includes plenty of pranks, code names, and hijinx for kids who like bright pink more than baseballs on the covers of their books.

Should someone you know be interested, visit the author's web site: bartking.net. It includes video clips illustrating some of the guides' proposed activities!
— Katy Killilea

Kidoinfo