Of course, people had all SORTS of weird ideas of food back then. I mean, they thought that adding a little vitamin B1 made doughnuts good for you!
From the National Archives.
I don’t know a boy (or “big boy”) who hasn’t been obsessed with James Bond at one point or another. Whether it’s the gadgets or the thrill-seeking, what boy wouldn’t want to be a spy? Enter The Big Book of Spy Stuff.
If anyone read 2007’s The Dangerous Book for Boys [blech!], it’s much the same humorous delivery of both facts and how-to’s. And much like how parents learn to sneak vegetables in a picky child’s favorite dish, I like that this book mixes in some legitimate history, like spies in the Revolutionary War and Cold War, as well as spy organizations like the CIA. Topics cover code-breaking, how to keep secrets, what some of the worst spy names through history have been, and more.
You might have to give your little James Bond a warning to not attempt his eavesdropping skills on his sister, but this book will definitely be a hit with the boys!
"Dear Mr. Bart King, you are my favorite author ... Please write back and tell me why!"
1.) "Because I rule!" (Nah, too egocentric.)
2.) Nice try, kid, but I can spot a paradoxical riddle that demonstrates the inadequacy of logical reasoning when I see one. (This might come across as dismissive.)
3.) Since he lobbed me a Zen koan, maybe the proper response is a haiku: “The sound of a book/dropping to the forest floor/Favored author smiles.” (Hmmm… not bad!)