Stuff Kids Should Know -- a Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What do you think kids should know? Perhaps you have heard the podcast, Stuff You Should Know. Today I am sharing a book by the creators of the podcast for middle grade kids. It is appropriately called Stuff Kids Should Know by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant with Nils Parker. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12 and they are going to love it!

From the Publisher:

WARNING: Contents of this book are cooler than they appear.

From the masterminds responsible for the beloved, award-winning podcast, Stuff You Should Know, comes a gut-busting and brain-bursting nonfiction book for young readers.

You know the deal. There's Language Arts, Math, Science and History. You have the color-coded folders and notebooks; you know the material. The classic subjects. But why isn't there a Stuff That Knocks Your Socks Off class, or Random Facts To Rock Your World?

Well, luckily, with Stuff Kids Should Know, an incomplete compendium of only the most interesting topics, you will find fascinating stories and facts that will melt your mind! From demolition derbies to Mr. Potato Head to the history of facial hair, this book is full of funny, surprising information that sparks curiosity and reveals the magic of knowledge.

For Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, the founders of the massively popular podcast Stuff You Should Know, the everyday world can be extraordinary when you dig a little deeper into the “whys” and the “hows”. With plenty of clever insights, silly illustrations, and an array of topics, this book digs deeper into stuff we all wish we knew more about. After all, who thought a rock would be a good idea for a pet? Well, let’s find out…

From Me:

Are you ready to learn everything there is to know about a few topics? The topics include Mr. Potato Head, getting lost, demolition derbies, facial hair, backmasking, aging, pet rocks, doughnuts, the Jersey Devil, trillionaires, the Scotland Yard Crime Museum, dog smells, and child prodigies. Basically, there is a topic for everyone here. The book shares just about everything about these topics in a humorous and fun way. Kids are going to love this book and be excited to learn more! I love that this book is nonfiction yet hard to put down. Kids are going to love it and probably think of more stuff they want to learn about. Be ready to help them do some research or perhaps the authors will come out with a second book for them! 

The book delves into the history of each thing. They explain the hows and whys as well as the whats. Did you know Mr. Potato Head originally didn't include the potato shaped head? Kids were supposed to use an actual potato with the toy. Or that it is believed that John D. Rockefeller was the first trillionaire in the United States? There is history like this for each of the topics. It is told in such a way that kids will keep reading and learning. This book introduces them to nonfiction in a fun way and gets them learning about things they may actually be interested in. That doesn't happen too often. I highly recommend this book as a great read for home, class or school. There is so much information and research in it that it will also be a great resource for a project. It hits topics from history, math, science, and more. I hope you will check it out!